No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth. No, I haven't stopped doing my devotions. Yes, I have forgotten to blog. But I'm back due to some recent inspiration.
A couple of days ago my challenge was as follows: Today I will remember that my only hope is in you and that you are with me always.
Sheila put the obvious and factual but somewhat uncomfortable statement out there: "Job never received an answer to his first question - 'Why?'" I stopped. No, no he didn't. But that is the question I ask myself every time I start over-thinking or dwelling on the past. Why? Why then? Why me? Why? Why? Why? But if Job never got an answer...well then God certainly isn't going to answer my why. Well *Humph.* Ugh. ...Then Sheila continues..."But Job did gain the new understanding that his only hope was in God." THERE! That is what I'm supposed to get out of this...my only hope is in God. In the end it doesn't matter why - all that matters is God is STILL there, He is right by my side! Sheila used Psalm 139:7-10 to convey His everlasting presence:
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me.
At first glance you might be thinking...okay??? But this passage gives me such hope! No matter what I do - if I mess up, He's still there. If I'm on my A game, He's still there! If I'm all alone and I can't seem to understand why....He is still there. You would think the devotion itself would have been enough for the day but God wasn't done with me yet. I started my daily Scripture reading. On this day I read about Stephen the martyr. Stephen was doing everything right - He was telling the world about our wonderful savior but the people were unhappy and decided to stone him to death! But do you know what he did in response? He asked God to not hold this sin against them!?! Stephen never even thought to throw a stone back - figuratively or literally. I read this and thought to myself - "If only I could be so good..."
So what did I learn on this day? First, I'm not going to get an answer to the never-ending "why?" But that doesn't mean I should be figuratively throwing stones at anyone. It means that I need to literally rest in knowing that God is by my side constantly. He will never, EVER leave me. And that gives me all the hope in the world. At the end of today I am thankful for His undying love for me. I am thankful that because of Him I have everlasting hope. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have something to look forward to. It's exhilirating!!
Showing posts with label Mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mistakes. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Land of 1,000 Mistakes
Day 10 - Brief pause here to celebrate 10 days!! I'm so excited about this mile marker. No, I haven't blogged everyday but I have done my devotions everyday...and, if I can say so myself, that is a bit more important. And even so, I have been much more consistent in my blog...I think I've already doubled my entries. lol.
So...back to the challenges
Day 10 - Today I will ask you to show me an opportunity to be a good Samaritan!
This was actually Saturday's challenge but I ended up home sick with a stomach ache and eventual severe headache. Ugh. Seeing that the couch didn't really need a Samaritan, there wasn't an opportunity that really presented itself... So Sunday it was. And Sunday picked up Saturday's neglected chores. AKA - grocery shopping. My opportunity to be a good Samaritan was nothing major. While we were at checkout I simply let the woman in line behind us go ahead of us. It added a few minutes of time to our day but nothing major. I do hope that what I learned this weekend was to keep a better eye out. I tend to miss simple opportunities to help someone else out because I'm too preoccupied in the business of my own life. The truth of the matter is that we should never be too busy, or tired, for God's work...simply doing the right thing when the opportunity presents itself. I'm going to be watching for those opportunities...like a hawk!
Day 11 - Today I will choose to trust You rather than fear the very real things there are to fear in this fallen world.
Rejection is real. And I fear rejection like my brother fears an empty refrigerator. When I read that statement this morning I didn't think I had any "real" fears. I thought all of my fears were either conquered or unrealistic. But throughout the day I really thought about it. Rejection could come from many places - work, friends, families, etc. But I can trust God to get me through that rejection. He can give me the strength that I need to face that rejection head on. While I was facing this fear head on today, admitting that it was there, God reminded me of the last few days of challenges. Who am I in Christ?!?! What does it matter if my friends reject me? Or if someone at work rejects me? Christ will never reject me! Never! And in Him I am a princess, I am relentlessly loved, I am "the apple of His eye" (Psalm 17:8). Nothing can change that - not a bad hair day, not a forgotten phone call, not 1,000 mistakes. He will always be there...just like my shadow (even when I can't see it, that shadow is still there!).
So...back to the challenges
Day 10 - Today I will ask you to show me an opportunity to be a good Samaritan!
This was actually Saturday's challenge but I ended up home sick with a stomach ache and eventual severe headache. Ugh. Seeing that the couch didn't really need a Samaritan, there wasn't an opportunity that really presented itself... So Sunday it was. And Sunday picked up Saturday's neglected chores. AKA - grocery shopping. My opportunity to be a good Samaritan was nothing major. While we were at checkout I simply let the woman in line behind us go ahead of us. It added a few minutes of time to our day but nothing major. I do hope that what I learned this weekend was to keep a better eye out. I tend to miss simple opportunities to help someone else out because I'm too preoccupied in the business of my own life. The truth of the matter is that we should never be too busy, or tired, for God's work...simply doing the right thing when the opportunity presents itself. I'm going to be watching for those opportunities...like a hawk!
Day 11 - Today I will choose to trust You rather than fear the very real things there are to fear in this fallen world.
Rejection is real. And I fear rejection like my brother fears an empty refrigerator. When I read that statement this morning I didn't think I had any "real" fears. I thought all of my fears were either conquered or unrealistic. But throughout the day I really thought about it. Rejection could come from many places - work, friends, families, etc. But I can trust God to get me through that rejection. He can give me the strength that I need to face that rejection head on. While I was facing this fear head on today, admitting that it was there, God reminded me of the last few days of challenges. Who am I in Christ?!?! What does it matter if my friends reject me? Or if someone at work rejects me? Christ will never reject me! Never! And in Him I am a princess, I am relentlessly loved, I am "the apple of His eye" (Psalm 17:8). Nothing can change that - not a bad hair day, not a forgotten phone call, not 1,000 mistakes. He will always be there...just like my shadow (even when I can't see it, that shadow is still there!).
