It’s too easy to get down
on ourselves by listening to the garbage that floats between our ears at times,
especially when we’re worn down and discouraged. It’s too easy to find a space
of lament on an otherwise sunny and carefree day—where we miss copious joys
lambasted toward us by our loving God.
God is good. God is
always good. God is never not good.
When I listen to those
lies I tell myself—how little I’m appreciated, how nasty I am, or how unworthy
to God I feel—my momentary beliefs are shaped and they penetrate my heart. Then
I’m in trouble.
I begin to act on the
negativity permeating my being. I complain about how unfair life is, I
compromise my values and the promises I’ve made, and I compare myself with
others.
Then God reminds me:
“Don’t complain. Find the
plethora of good to be praised, and don’t be afraid of sharing your lament with
me. Complaint just rips everyone down and does really no good at all. Replace
it with a fresh appreciation for the golden glow of joy that is now being
breathed into you through me, your God. Imagine the complaint, small; the mode
of appreciation, large.
“Don’t compromise. Lift to meet the standards you’ve set for yourself. Compromise
might feel justified now, but you’ll regret it later. Stay faithful. I will
bless you, most certainly, by your faithfulness to me. Don’t give up. I’m with
you in this; stay with me. Rise up. Be resurrected anew!
“Don’t compare. But if you must compare, compare yourself with me—not in a denigrating
way—but in a way that finds you rooted within your mind in the righteousness of
the Son. I gave my Son for you! Do you understand something of the depth of
this truth? If you do, you’ll smile, for I love you as I love him. You are
precious in my sight and in my midst. You are priceless and I could never have
another one of you.”
***
We, as a people, listen to
far too many lies that our minds dream up because of discouragement,
disappointment, unfair comparison, a lack of recognition, etc. But God is good;
entirely good. Our opportunity, today, tonight, at any time, is to rock back on
the haunches of our failings and come close to the Lord, who calls us; who loves us; who breathes life into us.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.
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