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I used to write articles like this every week after I became a Christian. They were posted to Facebook, but I doubt if many people read them. That didn't matter, because the writing of them was all that mattered. I still reread them once in a while, to remind me how far I've come as a Christian. It brings me joy to reproduce them here for you to read. Are you troubled by things you've done, by what you've said to people, or by what people have said to you? Are your words supportive, or do you find yourself often critical, or occasionally upset? When we speak or act in a way that we know in our hearts to be wrong, we pay with our self-respect. When we react badly to things that others say about us, we forget that God's love for us never wavers. Colossians 3:17 says: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord, giving thanks unto God.” We can choose how to respond to people or situations in our life that aren't pleasant. No-one can cause us to be angry, inflexible, irritable, or unforgiving. We get to decide to react that way, or not. And we need God's help to make the right choice. That is a very difficult thing to remember , sometimes. It's easy to forget, and choose negativity. Having been an atheist for most of my life, (what an ugly word!) with no interest in knowing God, it was always easy to allow myself to feel these things, and I often reacted badly. As a Christian, I know now that was wrong. But surprisingly, as a Christian, the difficulties have increased. I think it may be that I'm more sensitive now to how others treat me. Before I became a Christian, many things were easy to ignore, or to not care about. But in the past two years, as I write this, I seem to be hypersensitive to every slight, to every negative thing said about me or what I do or say. I've been hurt more than once by the insensitivity of others, by things people have said, and by 'friends' who aren't really interested in discussing God's love with me. Surprisingly, not many want to. I've often reacted poorly when this happens. It's unfortunately very easy to forget that God is always there for me. I need to remember what it says in Romans 8:31 … “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” It's important that we not allow ourselves to move away from letting the Lord fill our hearts with His Spirit. We can call on Him to fill us with His love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and patience. We can do everything in His name, as though He is right there beside us. When we know that, nothing that others say should matter. I told a friend once that one of the ways I'd found to deal with kids with bad attitudes who caused problems was to imagine that God was sitting on my shoulder as I talked to them, listening to everything I said, and guiding me to say and do the right thing. I knew He was there, but that seemed to help me remember. Remembering is the hard part. I think I need to carry Him with me there all the time! Worrying about the negative people and situations in our lives makes us lose sight of the good things. God has a purpose for our lives, even if we can't completely figure it out, and when His spirit fills us, it makes our burdens lighter. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Him”. Philippians 4:6-7 I'm still excited by that. I can't help it. When I look back at my life before I accepted Jesus, it seems empty. Now it's filled with joy. That's exciting! |