What is writing a blog if you cannot be honest, right? Isn't that what it is all about? For me it is and sometimes that is so very hard to just open your heart for all others to see. I have been dealing with a situation for a while now and the Lord keeps washing me with His word telling me, "It's not about you."Do we really want to hear that when we are hurting? Being left out? Wanting so badly to be involved, but are not included? I started thinking, "How many of sentences are beginning with Me or I?" There have been many lately. And over and over again the Lord is teaching me, no matter what it is always about Him. I find myself saying, "But I want to help", "But it's just not fair", "But, shouldn't I get to be involved?" Again, all those "Buts" are all about me and my feelings. Our feelings can be tricky. Our feelings can trap us. And there we are wrapped with that dreaded "Me Syndrome". I think we all have it at one time or another, don't we?
It doesn't matter if I am involved or not. It doesn't matter if my feelings are hurt or not. It does matter how I react to those feelings, and hurt. If I continue to make it about me and how I feel, the Lord is not being seen. But if I humble myself. If I just step back away from feelings, and react in such a way that honors Him, then He is gaining the victory.
I can tell you, this is not easy at all. In fact it's down right hard to just step back and not think about all I am missing. It hurts to think of the memories that are not going to be there. But Jesus didn't die and die for me so life could be all about me and my feelings. He never says anywhere life is all about me. If I am standing in the spot light, He cannot be seen. But if I step back, pray, die to self, He will shine brightly. He will give me all I need. I need to be content in Him and Him alone.
I am amazed at how much He alone teaches me daily. I love it when He washes His word over me again and again, letting me feel His presence. When He speaks to me through His word He is forever showing me how much He loves me. When He died upon the cross it wasn't about Him, it was about His Father. It was about you and I. Everything He gave for us. And here we are still trying to make it about us after all He has given. He emptied Himself out for us to have life. It didn't mean that life would then remain all about us, but through our lives we would reflect everything back to Him over and over again, giving Him glory through our lives.
I need to follow His steps and just simply give, emptying out myself, getting rid of all selfishness, pride and feelings and allow Him to fill me, giving me all I need. Everything I need I can find in Him.
We can sit and have ourselves a pity party when things don't go according to how we dreamed. We can sit and wallow in our pride when we are left out and others step in our place. We can cry tears of regret when loss comes, but just what if, what if, we changed that? What if instead of our pity party, we threw Christ a party of praise for giving us life? What if I cried tears of joy and spent my days in laughter over all He HAS given? Pride is the root of all evil. Lets say that one again, PRIDE IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. With pride there is NO room for anything else, much less room for Jesus to shine.
So, as I face my situation I am going to make it about Jesus instead of me. I am going to remember His words and wash myself in Him daily as I struggle daily. As I struggle as long I focus on Him, He will wash me in His grace and fill me with His love. Instead of thinking of me, I need to be in prayer for everyone around me, including me. I need to pray for the glory of the Lord to shine. I need to pray that all will come to know Him. I need to pray that He will guide me, and help me stand in Him and Him alone. It doesn't much matter where I stand if I am not standing in His word.
Life hurts. It really does. We want to be a part of others. We want to included. We just want to be accepted. And there is nothing wrong with that, unless it begins to be the center of all we are. It's when we make it all about us, leaving out Christ that causes us to fall. I need to know I am accepted in Christ. I am included in Him and He is a part of me. That alone is enough. Everything else is just added blessings, and you never know, we might just find more blessings waiting when we are willing to give up self in order for Him to shine.
So, I ask you to pray for me. I ask you to pray that I die to self and I allow the Lord to shine through me in every situation. He is teaching me so very much. Praise the Lord I am a work in progress. There is no perfection in me, except for Him, living through me. And my friends, He is what it is all about!
Proverbs 16:18-19 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Proverbs 13:10 "By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom."
James 4:6 "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."
Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
