I have been a bit overwhelmed recently. I don't think there is a person out there that does not understand what I mean. There are times that I want to cry (or scream). I want to climb right back into my bed and pull the covers over my head. I get mad for no reason. I pout and mope around. I begin to wonder what my problem is. It seems that when one battle ends, another one begins. How much can I take? I think to myself, am I just being silly?
He is trying to teach me something. I feel that my life is a puzzle, and God puts one piece in at a time to make sure that it fits and looks correct, understanding He is working on different situations in my life. If He were not working on them, I wouldn't be here (or sane) now. At times, I feel like I am holding on to the edge of a cliff by my fingertips, yet I know I am secure because that cliff is my Savior. He is not going to let me fall. We do not have perfect lives and need to remember that He wants the best for us, but it is what He wants for us.
At the time when you don't see an outcome, stay steadfast. Down the road, it all falls into place. Believe it or not. But the most important thing ( I have realized-hit me over the head with a two by four!) is to learn to be happy right in the midst of it, and He will bring you through. Without pain, there is no gain, and we do gain from the pain. The Holy Spirit will be there to guide you (if you allow Him) whenever you are lost, lonely, or at your wit's end. Thank Him today for loving, caring, and coming to earth to save us from our woes, selfishness, shortcomings, and sin. God knows I'd really be upset without Him!
Do you stop to enjoy the simple things in life? I remember when I was a child and would walk to the corner store. It was really just a little store with a wooden floor that sold penny candy. The man behind the counter would put all of my choices in a tiny paper bag. Heaven, I'm in heaven! Do you remember playing kickball, Red Rover, Mother, May I, and just having a total blast? My mom would let us buy popsicles from a Jingle Scoot man who drove a truck around our neighborhood. Times have changed, but God hasn't.
Our bible study group got together, and we were going on and on about what some think of the Bible today. One comment was that the Bible is old-fashioned and not up-to-date. I could not even imagine the Bible changing to conform to today's times. People seem to want to rewrite the Bible to suit their needs and desires. I don't think that everyone truly understands that the Bible is the holy, inspired Word of God. You can't change that.
I miss the carefree life of a child. I miss being able to play a softball game in my backyard with just my neighborhood friends. I miss root beer floats on a hot day and hotdogs at a baseball game. I know that those days are over, but people seem to make life so hard. What happened to birthday parties with just family? What happened to stay married to one person for the rest of your life? What happened to worship one God? The media would say we want the freedom to choose what we want. So what if, back in the day, Jesus chose at the last minute not to die on the Cross to save my pitiful soul? One has to have rules to live by whether one likes it or not. I did not always like the rules that my earthly father gave me, but I obeyed them. The Bible is our moral compass, and, once again, God never changes.
The Bible doesn't need to be rewritten, updated, or retranslated. We need to be rewritten. Our minds need to be rewritten and reprogrammed. People of today need to get back to a more simplistic belief system. For some, I guess that it is just easier to conform than stand on what you believe. Well, I believe in God, and I will stand firm on it. Do I struggle? Yes, but I am still standing.
We are the sequel in our generation to the written Word. In television lingo, the word would be "spin-off." We are act two of the play. How we live and worship God will affect the next sequel, our children. I do not want my children to conform to this world, and I do not want them taught that it is fine to rewrite God's holy Word. The thought of that is not okay with me. We are children of God and not supposed to conform to the world and its values.
I had a dream last night that a man came down the hall and was throwing things at me. They were big and hard things. I did not fall, and I did not cry. I stood. When things are coming at you, you need to stand on God and His written Word. Do what it says, and He will always take care of you. Cast your fears on Him and believe.
Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
There has been something bothering me for quite a while. It is the negativity in the air that we breathe. Now, I know that sounds rather dramatic, but when my daughter comes home and says that everyone she encounters is stupid, there is a problem. I have talked to her about projecting a positive attitude. She feels that everyone has a negative attitude, so why be positive? She said, "Look around, Mom. Everyone around you is negative. They complain all the time. They are unhappy." Now that upsets me.
I started looking around. I started listening to people I encountered. She is right on the one hand. People are negative and unhappy, and what is more, it seems to be getting worse. It is at work, at home, even in our churches. What is the cause for all of this? It isn't only because they don't know Jesus. People I know who love Jesus are miserable. What has happened?
When Jesus was here on earth, I do not remember any negativity coming from Him. Yes, He did overturn the money changers tables in His Father's house, but I don't recall anywhere in the Bible where He called someone stupid or dumb. He loved everyone; even when they crucified Him, He forgave them. He loved his enemies. Isn't that a biblical principle?
Where have we gone wrong? If we love Jesus, should we not project something positive in negative situations, even when it hurts? Sometimes, those who are the most negative need a smile or kind words. It would mean so much if we could show them a positive gesture. If you have Jesus in your heart, you have something far greater than those who don't. Allow the Holy Spirit to help guide you through those negative situations.
I have talked to my daughter quite a bit about positivity. I told her if anything, I would hope that before she says someone is stupid, she would think, my mom wants me to project a positive attitude. I guarantee that she will be very tired of hearing this from me, and by the time she goes back to college, I pray that I have made an impact on her. I would also pray that she would make an impact on someone else. Honestly, what harm is there in projecting something positive? It probably would stun a lot of people, as I am sure that Jesus stunned a lot of people in His time.
I want to be like Jesus. How about you? Try to "think positively" and then act upon it. It will not only help the other person, but it just might do you a world of good as well.
Now is time to get real with ourselves. One cannot be whole until one searches one's heart. Many are trying to do the right thing. We try to be compassionate, loving, caring (all good biblical things), but we have things in our lives that need attention. One cannot live in the past or dwell on things that have happened. You know the things that can haunt our thinking, things we have done or said. These issues must be dug out of our inner spirit and let go. From experience, I have learned over the years there can be things that linger, causing great harm.
Deep-seated issues can be buried deep within that lie dormant. As they grow and take on greater roots with age, they can consume us even to lacking concentration on anything but what is eating us alive. The issue might be something that happened in our childhood or something that happened as recently as last year, but it is buried. However, to be set free from these emotional strongholds, they must be confronted and confessed to God, for it is how He sets you free.
For example, one must forgive those who have hurt you, whether intentionally or not. One cannot possibly function fully (in life or for God) if one cannot forgive. The issue might be terrible and continues to fester in your heart, but do not allow the one responsible (don't give them the power) to keep you bound. You change. The person who has wronged you might see the change in you, which, in turn, might produce some change in them. Remember: Forgive as you have been forgiven! That is a biblical truth. The individual journey to this freedom, though, lies with each one of us. Face the big, bad wolf inside and pray for God's guidance.
Give it all to Him at the Cross and feel the freest that you have in years. Many (me) have wasted a lot of life thinking and dwelling on things that only God can heal.
Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (NIV).
