(Psalm 42:11) "Why art thou cast down , O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9) "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;"
Have you ever sat in the center of a crowded mall, just observing people as they scurry on their way? This is something that I just love to do... PEOPLE WATCH. Body language resounds oft times louder than words themselves. Facial expressions, the pace of the steps, position of the shoulders, and even the tilt of the head.... speak volumes. Today as I flipped through the pages of my prayer list... opened e-mails sent from friends... and read posts on my facebook page... my heart was saddened at all the wayward family members, church problems, serious health issues, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties, crucial decisions, heartaches, difficulties, depression, discouragement, and despair, that I witnessed. All of these can sure "take the wind out of your sails." When problems arise and the cares of this world are attacking us from every direction - it is hard to look up. Time and again under the weight of these burdens, our shoulders droop, and our head is downcast. When our head is pointed downward, our vision is limited to only a few paces in front of us, no broader scope in view. With our chins pressed to our chest, few words can proceed from our mouths, especially words of praise. The more we stay focused on our burdens, it is like being stuck in a mire of mud, or in a pit of quick-sand. Sinking deeper and deeper we waste time and energy trying to free ourselves from its debilitating grasp.
Oh, if only we can remember this one thing: God is in control. When we have no strength of our own to elevate our weary heads... He reaches down His loving hand... places His fingers beneath our chin... and gently lifts. After He has wiped away the tears and our vision is clear, with eyes fixed on Him, we can stand tall, throw back our shoulders, and hold our heads high. Voices no longer stifled, a song will resonate from our heart.
(Psalm 27:6) "And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing , yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD."
THAT SONG WILL BE............ PSALM 3:3
"But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
I belive one of the toughest concepts for humans to realize is that we are NOT in control. We spend a lifetime hurting ourselves and others trying to control our environments and everyone in it. I once gave my sister a cup that she often reminds me changed her way of thinking about how she portrayed herself to others. I didn't give it to her to change her way of thinking about herself. I gave it to her because I thought it was cute and matched her personality. I loved my sister (still do) and the way that she thought and the opinions that she often stated. Being a young lady in my teens (she was 17 years my senior)I admired my sister more than anyone else in my life and in my mind she was right about everything. I could have listened to her for hours. The cup made this simple statement, "Everyone is entitled to my opinion". I gave it to her because I thought, "This is the smartest woman in the world and indeed everyone is entitled to her opinion." In her mind though it made her very aware that she often stated her opinions as the gospel and possibly she needed to implement some changes into her delivery. How frequently do we all do that? We give our opinion as if it IS the gospel. When people object or demonstrate different ideas we view them as strange and unacceptable to be included in the privilege of our presense. Why do we do that? Could the answer to that question be because they make us feel rejected; therefore leading to a more intense fearful feeling that we could be losing control? We have all been there, but live in denial about our need for assurance and refuse the reality that God is in control no matter which angle we choose to approach it from. I wonder how much simplier life could be if we could just reach the place of acceptance in God's purpose in our being and allow others to be who God created them to be without our solicited judgement. Thank you so much for this insightful reminder. Pattie
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