Often times it is so easy to get wrapped up in thinking about the mysterious and scary uncertainties of the future and wallow in the pain of the past. These are two things I struggle with every single day of my life. It have this weird struggle inside of me. I want to throw a pity party for myself and I want someone to say "hey, I am so sorry for the things that have happened to you. You don't deserve it and your story is the saddest story I have ever heard." but at the same time just writing that seems absolutely ridiculous. Why would I want to be in that place? Why should I dwell in the past when I can not do anything to change it. Don't get me wrong I know that it is a part of me and I will carry it with me where ever I go, but I can't change it.
On the other end of the spectrum I often sit an worry about the future. I get panicked knowing that God has the ability to take everything away from me. The weird pull there is that I know in my heart that God would not do anything to harm me in the big picture of things. Everything God brings in my life is to glorify him and to bring me closer to him.
Everyday I read a daily thought from the book "Grace For The Moment" by Max Lucado. Let me share with you the thought for yesterday titled The Choice Is Ours
" 'I will make you my promised bride forever. I will be good and fair; I will show you my love and mercy.' Hosea 2:19
For all its peculiarities and unevenness, the Bible has a simple story. God made man. Man rejected God. God won't give up until he wins him back.
God will whisper. He will shout. He will touch and tug. He will take away our burdens; he'll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one. But he will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours.
Please understand. His goal is not to make you happy. His goal is to make you his. His goal it not to get you what you want; it is to get you what you need. ~A Gentle Thunder"
I read that and know that it is not my place in life to focus on the pain of my past or panic about the uncertainty of my future. My purpose is to focus on glorifying God with my life. I choose to share my story to better understand the power, grace and love God has for me. So here is to glorifying God and living for today.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hmmm... very interesting post:
ReplyDelete"I get panicked knowing that God has the ability to take everything away from me."
ME TOO! I recently learned that the word awesome stems from the word awful or terrible. So when we or the Bible say that God is awesome we're referring to God's just wrath and the fear of God that we should have? But you're exactly right that even though God is ALL POWERFUL and has every right to punish us eternally for our sins He chooses to redeem us!! WOW!
"If there are a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one. But he will leave the final one for us. The choice is ours."
I know this is not a quote from you rather the book you are reading, but I'll be flat out honest with you: I don't agree with this AT ALL!
The Bible says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I CANNOT carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep doing. ...What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:18,19,24,25 NIV) The message of total depravity is all over the Bible!
So, if I cannot do ANY good then I cannot even take the thousand and one step the author says is my choice. I am completely and totally deprived. I am not just sick ... I am DEAD! I cannot reach up and grab God's hand. He has to reach down and pick me up and bring me back to life again. In my sinful state, I will not and CANNOT choose God. He has to save me.
That's a scary thing ... it's an "AWESOME" thing (using that word correctly). But it makes God's grace and mercy even more powerful. I cannot take any credit for my salvation ... not even one tiny "step" or one prayer or one little "yes, Lord I accept you" I cannot even do those things apart from God doing them in me.
The bottom line ... if we truly believe that we are sinful creatures and need to be saved from our sin then our sinfulness will continually prevent us from choosing God.
I'm glad He chose me...
and I'm so glad He chose you!
Keep writing! I love you Sister!