Then with good intentions there are times we try to bring an understanding to what was said by entwining our definition with what was shared because we can't relate; we haven't been there. It is during these times the best we can do is to just listen, just trust, and just accept.
What it all comes down to is this: how we relate to others, to our life's experiences, and better still how we develop our own self awareness is largely based on what we believe, what we think about God, life/others, and ourselves.
I have heard it said that this life is a battlefield. For me, I believe that the battlefield is actually the mind. The best defense we have in this life is to be prepared mentally. There is a constant war raging on what will take up space and reside in our minds. We can always trace sinful behavior back to the things we mediate on (ponder), the things we read, the shows, movies, and the programs we watch, and the people we engage with. The more we digest thoughts and ideas that are not true, or noble, or admirable, or lovely, or pure, or excellent, then we are acting (or I should say reacting) from a base of distrust, disrepute, and unwholesomeness.
God's truth, His Word, is my anchor. I trust, believe and hope in God and His ways. I acknowledge and accept that I will never understand all of God's ways and the reasons behind His ways. I also know that just because His ways are above my own it doesn't mean that He isn't at work or doesn't love or care for me.
When I first read or hear God's Words of truth, sometimes I have to admit it sounds foreign. I have questions; I don't understand. Through so many, many, years of striving and forcing understanding and then questioning in disbelief - I have decided to just trust and come to Him as a child. Acceptance doesn't mean that I have stopped seeking wisdom or understanding - it's just that I seek HIS wisdom and understanding. Not my own. Children enter rest through believing. So as a child of God this is what I believe: God will translate and apply what's in my head to my heart.
Each of us can decide what to believe or not believe about God, about life, about ourselves. That is our choice. We hold that key. For me that vital key was to put my trust in God through the person of Jesus Christ. Since I made that choice, my life has changed. I have experienced a tangible joy through this faith. The language is more and more discernible and understandable. Outward experiences over which I have no control no longer wreck havoc over my soul. I have a confidence and an ability to navigate successfully through the circumstances and influences that I do have control over. My inward attitudes, beliefs and thought patterns are the admirable expression of a whole being: body, soul and spirit.
The challenge to us all is to remain pure in thought - to guard our minds. To be careful about what we entertain. Am I going to believe the God of the universe who has proven trustworthy and faithful or believe my own version of 'truth' based on my lack of understanding? It's your choice, too. I pray you choose well.
"For as he/she thinks in his/her heart, so is he/she." Proverbs 23:7
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