Along the way I’ve discovered that when I ask God to transform my heart, I should be prepared for Him to dig in and do some serious work—work that is sometimes difficult, sometimes painful, and often uncomfortable.
I must confess that God’s way of transforming my heart seldom looks anything like what I had in mind when I prayed for the transformation. Often God brings difficult situations and difficult people into my life—situations and people that challenge me, causing me to reexamine my life. God uses these people and these situations to reach deep into my soul, revealing the closely cherished (and often buried sins) that cause a gaping chasm to form between God and myself.
The fact is that in order for God’s heart transformation to be successful, I must be willing to allow Him cut these things from my life. I am required to let go of my pride, my arrogance, and haughtiness—the very feelings I never dreamed I harbored. Through these situations and these people, God gently points out the things in my life that I need to turn over to Him—the changes I need to make in order to become a true reflection of His glory.
Recently, I had been feeling kind of proud of the way I treat people, believing that I had this love thing down, foolishly thinking I could do it on my own. But God—in His infinite wisdom, and because I asked Him to transform my heart—brought two challenging people into my life to remind me that I cannot do it on my own. No matter how good I get at loving, no matter how proficient I get at compassion, no matter how kind I become, I am still completely incapable of doing good on my own.
So join me as I turn my pride and arrogance over to God, allowing His work to continue in my life and allowing Him to give me a new, transformed heart that truly reflects His glory.
Final Thought: The moment we believe we can do good on our own we are faced with the reality of our human limitations—and failure is always lurking just around the corner, ready to pounce.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Conquering Fear (Giving it to God)
Along the way I’ve often been afraid: afraid of the ice on the roads, afraid to challenge myself, afraid to ride my bike over rough terrain, afraid to expose my inner feelings, afraid I might fail, afraid someone would laugh, afraid I’d be afraid—afraid…
But God does not call us to a life of fear; instead, He calls us to a life of abundance.
If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I still secretly harbor many of these fears. I feel their hot breath on my neck almost daily; however, I’ve discovered that most failures aren’t as painful or as embarrassing as I feared, laughing at my own mistakes still releases endorphins, and people are far better than I expect—more likely to applaud my efforts and cheer me on than to laugh at or mock me. But most importantly, with God on my side, my success is already assured.
And, success is so sweet.
So, while I sometimes still walk my bike over the rocks, I’m learning, one failure at a time, that trying is always better than giving up—regardless of the outcome. And, success is so sweet.
So join me as I turn my fears and failures over to the God of the universe, allowing Him to fight for me, instead of continually trying to do it on my own.
Final Thought: Fears frustrate success.
But God does not call us to a life of fear; instead, He calls us to a life of abundance.
If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I still secretly harbor many of these fears. I feel their hot breath on my neck almost daily; however, I’ve discovered that most failures aren’t as painful or as embarrassing as I feared, laughing at my own mistakes still releases endorphins, and people are far better than I expect—more likely to applaud my efforts and cheer me on than to laugh at or mock me. But most importantly, with God on my side, my success is already assured.
And, success is so sweet.
So, while I sometimes still walk my bike over the rocks, I’m learning, one failure at a time, that trying is always better than giving up—regardless of the outcome. And, success is so sweet.
So join me as I turn my fears and failures over to the God of the universe, allowing Him to fight for me, instead of continually trying to do it on my own.
Final Thought: Fears frustrate success.
The Freedom of Forgiveness (Putting God’s Love into Action)
Along the way I’ve discovered that the only way to forgive, the only way to truly let go of my pain and anger, embracing the true spirit of forgiveness, is through the unfailing love of God; there is simply no other way that I’m able to continually forgive in the face of repeated pain. It’s only in the knowledge of God’s love for me, in the absolute security of His all-consuming love, that I finally recognize those hurtful words as lies; then, and only then, in the face of God’s perfect truth, do those lies lose their power over me. And once those words, and the person speaking them, lose their power to hurt me, I can finally recognize their pain in the hurtful words they use; only then can I forgive them when they lash out in anger.
It is only after the healing—healing that comes from the knowledge of God’s love and through His strength in us—that I can forgive, forget, and start the processes all over again.
After years of pain and struggle I finally allowed God to heal my pain, allowed Him to reveal my true beauty and worth—a truth that, once established in the very core of my being, cannot be snatched away, no matter what the world hurls at me. I was finally set free to express His love to those who hurt me.
I’m not saying that it’s an easy road; in fact, sometimes it is a very, very long road to healing, but I am a living witness to God’s healing love and His ability to transform a life of pain into a life filled with His abundant joy.
So join me as I revel in the freedom of God’s healing love. Join me as I continue following the call of Jesus to forgive, forgive, forgive…
Final Thought: True forgiveness is only possible through God and His unfailing love
It is only after the healing—healing that comes from the knowledge of God’s love and through His strength in us—that I can forgive, forget, and start the processes all over again.
After years of pain and struggle I finally allowed God to heal my pain, allowed Him to reveal my true beauty and worth—a truth that, once established in the very core of my being, cannot be snatched away, no matter what the world hurls at me. I was finally set free to express His love to those who hurt me.
I’m not saying that it’s an easy road; in fact, sometimes it is a very, very long road to healing, but I am a living witness to God’s healing love and His ability to transform a life of pain into a life filled with His abundant joy.
So join me as I revel in the freedom of God’s healing love. Join me as I continue following the call of Jesus to forgive, forgive, forgive…
Final Thought: True forgiveness is only possible through God and His unfailing love
Friday, February 10, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Freedom of Surrender (Giving It All to God)
Along the way I’ve finally—after much resistance, reluctance, and multiple failures—discovered the benefits and outlandish blessings that accompany full and complete surrender to God.
There is a freedom in letting go, in releasing the heavy burden of facing this battle alone, in continually trying to figuring it all out on my own, in planning my ...life down to the last detail; yes, there is a blissful freedom in giving my life fully over to the One Who holds all the answers—God. It is only when I put my full trust in God—giving myself body, mind, and soul over to Him—that I experience this euphoric freedom.
Sadly, I daily struggle with leaving it all in God’s hands; even after experiencing the inescapable evidence of Him working in my life, I still find myself holding on to my selfish, little plans. Even after experiencing His mercy and grace in my life and enjoying the relief that comes with full surrender, even then, I still stubbornly insist on grabbing for the reigns of my life; even then, I struggle down the path of complete surrender to God.
The beautiful truth is this: If I will fully surrender my life to God, He will begin an eternal transformation in me—a transformation that will mold me into a reflection of Him.
So join me as I revel in the freedom of full surrender, allowing God to become the foundation of my life, allowing Him to transform me into His image.
Final Thought: It is only when I fully surrender to God that I experience true freedom.
There is a freedom in letting go, in releasing the heavy burden of facing this battle alone, in continually trying to figuring it all out on my own, in planning my ...life down to the last detail; yes, there is a blissful freedom in giving my life fully over to the One Who holds all the answers—God. It is only when I put my full trust in God—giving myself body, mind, and soul over to Him—that I experience this euphoric freedom.
Sadly, I daily struggle with leaving it all in God’s hands; even after experiencing the inescapable evidence of Him working in my life, I still find myself holding on to my selfish, little plans. Even after experiencing His mercy and grace in my life and enjoying the relief that comes with full surrender, even then, I still stubbornly insist on grabbing for the reigns of my life; even then, I struggle down the path of complete surrender to God.
The beautiful truth is this: If I will fully surrender my life to God, He will begin an eternal transformation in me—a transformation that will mold me into a reflection of Him.
So join me as I revel in the freedom of full surrender, allowing God to become the foundation of my life, allowing Him to transform me into His image.
Final Thought: It is only when I fully surrender to God that I experience true freedom.
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