What about you?
Recently I felt convicted when
thinking about this…
Although I don’t do it
intentionally I know I, too, am guilty of making promises I don’t keep. It may be a situation where I have great
intentions and never get around to following through or I may just honestly
forget that I made the promise at all. It
could be something as simple as one of our children asking me to do something
and me saying, “in a few minutes” and then never getting around to doing it due
to the other ‘somethings’ I have going on at the same time or it might be
something more in depth. I do know that
forgetting about things happens more and more frequently as our family has
grown! :~/
Either way, I am convicted
about how harshly I might judge someone else’s actions that when compared with
my own seem less severe.
During our preparation to move
to Haiti over this last year, we’ve been blown away by people’s generosity and
dedication to our family and our journey but we’ve also been severely
disappointed by several people, too. I found
myself ‘sizing them up’ and 'marking them with a scarlet letter' in my mind (and
even in my heart) until I was reminded that since we’re all human and we operate
in the flesh this side of heaven, that we will continue to experience
disappointment and that we will disappoint, too, because we are all flawed.
There’s not one person on earth
that can promise to always follow through with their promises every time. Even those who love us most, those who we treasure
most, those who would never want to hurt us are incapable of the task of never
letting us down. While this is
disheartening, we can be encouraged today because there is One who we CAN trust
to keep His promise every time!
Maybe you know Christ
personally but maybe you don’t. Maybe
you don’t trust God because you feel that He has let you down already. Maybe you tried walking with Him during part
of your life and things didn’t go the way you envisioned so you parted
ways. I get it… I really do... but today
I want to challenge you to try again.
It’s not easy but it’s
rewarding because I’m not left with that sinking feeling that I get when I’ve
trusted someone and given them one more time to prove they are worthy of my trust
only to be let down again. God doesn’t
promise to do things the way I want Him to but I’m learning to trust that He’s
the only One who is worthy of being trusted through every curve, every hill,
every mountain, every valley, every bump, every pot-hole, every loop hole,
every cliff, every everything.
Many times I think we set
ourselves up for failure before we begin our walk with God because we simply
confuse our position with His. We act
like the Creator of our own lives when really we are the created. Who could be better at knowing what’s really
best for our lives than the One who created us? A blog I occasionally read goes more in depth
on this here: Which map are you using?
While I am learning to depend
on God more each day, I am recalling the times and places where He has proved Himself
to me personally and I’m clinging to these words:
“People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the LORD God you have a sure thing.”
Isaiah 26:3-4
“Keep
company with God, get in on the best.
Open up before God, keep nothing back; He’ll do whatever needs to be
done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with
approval.. Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him. Don’t bother with
those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top. Bridle your anger,
trash your wrath, cool your pipes – it only makes things worse.” Psalm 37:5-8
“If your child asks for bread, do you trick him
with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his
plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least
decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in
love will be even better?”
Matthew
7:9-11,
“I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.”
John 14:27
“Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.”
Luke
12:22-24
“This most generous God who gives seed to the
farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you.”
2
Cor 9:10
(All
above verses from The Message version)
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