Out of My Hands, Into God's

One of the biggest things that I struggle with is seeing other people make choices that are not good for them. Of course, I think that I know what is better for them and think that I can make decent choices for them. Last night I was having a discussion with a couple of people, and I noticed that this was something that I was struggling with. One person told me that there are so many times when we worry about people or try and have control over them because we think that we are the people that can ultimately help them, but that is not true. There are many times where we have people come and go from our lives, so why do we think that it should be different for other people? Why should we think that we are the only ones that can be in their lives? The most important piece of advice that I received from this person is that rather than trying to worry and control our relationship to another person, we should pray that Godly people will come into their life and influence them. After hearing this, I realized that this again is a control issue. Rather than thinking that I need all of the control and that what I know is best, I can turn it over to the care of God and allow Him to work His plan out.

Joy and Happiness

Recently, I have come across the passage in James that talks about considering it joy when you face trials of many kinds. When I first read it a few years back, I began to question how one could possibly find joy in a situation that would be considered a trial. Of course, there are some trials that I would consider better than others, but I still wouldn't think that I would experience joys in those situations. One of the things that I learned in college from several people was that joy and happiness are not the same thing. Yes, I know, simple truth, but for me, it was difficult to grasp. After thinking about this verse and my newly developed comprehension of the difference between joy and happiness, I realized that I can have joy in situations that are not the greatest. This passage is not telling me that I have to be extremely happy and overwhelmed with happiness. But, I can be joyful in the fact that I am a child of God that can experience trials and suffer for His name. Will I be happy? Probably not. The pain that we may experience is not something that we would exhibit happiness over. It is okay not to like whatever we are going through, but it is still possible for us to experience some sort of joy.

In The Way

Today, I had a long 8 or so hour drive back to Indiana. Of course, I scanned the radio mot of the time. On a side note, I think that even if I did find a station that was good, I still pushed the button to scan because that was more entertaining after a while. Anyways, that was a tangent. One of the songs that I continuously heard was Jesus, Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns. When I first heard this song, I was somewhat annoyed because I figured that it would be just another, over-played song. Each time I heard it, I heard the same part over and over again. The gist of the line was that we allow people to see what we are against rather than what we are for. We allow our own judgments and criticisms get into the way of who God is and what being a child of God really means. As I was driving, I began to think of the many times that I have allowed these things to interfere with my relationships. I have many people in my life who are not followers of Christ, and I know that there are many times where I am judgmental and somewhat critical of them because they are "sinning". First thought that came to my mind was that I cannot expect them to follow the same "laws" that I do when they do not claim to be children of God. The second thought that came to my mind was that they are not seeing Christ through me. If I am a representative of who Christ is, then I am doing a miserable job. Rather than showing the graceful, merciful, and loving God, they are seeing a judgmental God who has a ton of rules. Rather than being judgmental and critical of others, I can show the people in my life who Christ really is.

Mercy

Currently, I am reading a book that if nothing more, displays the extent of God's mercy. At one point in the book, a character basically stated that they could not punish someone for a sin when God had shown them great mercy. When I read this, I was amazed at how one person can show mercy towards another, but then as I continued to read, it became more clear. God can show us mercy, and we receive the punishment that we deserve according to Him. We face the consequences, but also are blessed with repentance and redemption. When we say the same thing that we cannot punish someone for a sin when we have received mercy from God, we are playing God. It is one thing to show mercy to someone who is truly repenting and remorseful for their sin, but when we allow the sin to go unpunished and things are basically ignored, we allow more trouble to come in. In the case of this story (which happens to be about King David and his son), a more severe consequence comes upon them. Hostility develops between David's sons and turmoil becomes a common theme in their home. Summary of all of this...I am reminded that although I have received mercy from God, I am not God. I cannot know the true state of another person's heart, and I cannot be the judge of that. I can know that God does know my heart and will judge me accordingly, showing my grace and mercy for repentance that I bring.

Stubborn

If there was one word to describe me, it would probably be stubborn. Okay, so there are a lot of other words that could describe me as well, but usually the one I hear most often is stubborn. Before, I used to think that this was strictly a negative characteristic. Growing up when my mom would tell me that I was stubborn, it was usually because I refused to clean my room or do something else. Most of the time, my stubbornness comes out when I refuse to do something or will purposely ignore someone or something in order to have control. Over the years I have learned that being stubborn is not always a bad thing. For instance, a stubborn person can have really strong boundaries and can withstand pressure from others. This morning, I discovered that being stubborn can be negative not just in our relationships with other people, but also in our relationship with God. Sometimes, we can feel so exposed and so imperfect that we refuse to allow God to change us. We run because we are scared. I have noticed that a lot of times, it is a pride issue. Not only am I ashamed and afraid of my sin and imperfections, but I also am way too stubborn to admit that I am in the wrong. I know that I am in the wrong, and God surely knows that I am in the wrong, but somehow in my mind, being stubborn is a safer option. Why be stubborn to the one who can break down any walls that I put up? Today I can choose to begin to tear down those walls.