Humblings Experiences

     Have you ever had one of those days that... NOTHING seems to be going right?... I had another one of those experiences this last week. It was one of those, "Thanks God... I needed that." moments. A moment that when I'm in the midst of strife and chaos, that Gods there, giving me the gentle nudge, saying, "Look, child! You may have a bad day, but I'm here." God knew what I needed to learn that day. It was one of those moments that I look back on, and realize that God was trying to show me patience, and having a way of humbling me when things don't go my way. God sure does have a sense of humor, doesn't he?! :)

     The thing is, the day actually started out really great! It was a Saturday... I got to spend the day with my hubby. We went with my brother and sister in law to pray at an Abortion Clinic, went to an antique sale, and then I went shopping, while Josh drove home with his brother, to get things done at home. Things were going great! ... I had a coffee in hand, and a shopping cart with a lists of things I needed to get. It was when I got home, that things just started going downhill. I stubbed my toe and made it bleed, spilled mac n cheese on my pants, swept and mopped the floor, only to spill on it a little while later. Things just continued to get worse. I literally had to sit down next to my husband, to get me calmed down. After I calmed down, I thanked God for the day he blessed me with.

     Sometimes, we just have rough days. I think God uses the good and the bad days for His glory. I kept thinking back to how I reacted when things got bad, and I wondered, what could I have done differently? Instead of clenching my fists, and and grinding my teeth, I could've just said, "It's okay... I'm still alive and well." I didn't though. 

     My husband and I were sitting down to watch a movie late last night, and I heard a loud noise, and all the sudden heard him do a little moan and groan. I went to the kitchen to find out what happened, and he said, "I dropped my water bottle, full of water." It went all over the carpet. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I had literally done the same thing the previous day, and had the same reaction. Things didn't go the way I wanted it to, and I groaned about it. Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk"? Spilled Milk, you can clean up... the actions that you do when you spill, is something you can't take back once it's been done. If you growl and are grouchy about a spill that your 2 year old did on accident, and you start saying things that you don't mean, just because you're mad, they may not forget. However, if you calmly say, "It's okay. Let's clean this up. It was an accident." ... doesn't that sound a whole lot better?!
     I'm constantly reminding myself to do things or say things differently when I'm mad. Instead of going on this rant about what I'm upset about, I'm trying to just take a deep breath, thank God for the day, and move on. It's a lot harder said than done, I know. :) But hey, you gotta start somewhere.
     These Bible verses have been helpful for me this week. What ways do you find help you to calm down when you're upset? I'd love to know! :) Leave a comment!

Proverbs 25:28, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls."

1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

2 Peter 1:5-7, "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

2 Timothy 1:7, "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Proverbs 16:32, "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."

1 Peter 4:7, "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."

Finishing well

Have you ever heard it said, "Finish what you've started"?
Sometimes, we can become so obsessed with completion that we become blind to effectiveness. Just because a project is on the table, doesn't mean it can't be returned to the shelf. No, my desire is not to convince you to finish everything. My desire is to encourage you to finish the right thing. Certain races are optional- like speed reading and sports; other races are essential- like the race of faith. Consider the admonition from the author of Hebrew, "...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

The word "Race" is from the Greek "agon", from which we get the word "agony". The Christian's race is not a jog, but rather a demanding and grueling, sometimes agonizing race. It takes a massive effort to finish strong. I'm sure you've observed that there are many on the side of the trail?! They used to be running. There was a time when they kept the pace; but then weariness sets in. They didn't think the run would be this tough, or they were discouraged by a bump and daunted by a fellow runner. Whatever the reason, they don't run anymore. They may be Christians... they may come to church, but are their hearts in the race? They retire before their time. Unless something changes, their best work will have been their first work, and they will finish with a whimper.

By contrast, Jesus' best work was his final work, and his strongest step. Our Master is the classic example of one who endured. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Jesus, "Held on while wicked people were doing evil things to Him." The Bible says Jesus, "Held on", implying that Jesus could have, "let go". The runner could have given up, sat down, gone home. He could have quit the race; but he didn't! He held on! He kept on running!
Jesus was tempted, accused, and criticized, but he kept running! The question is... how? How did he endure such disgrace? What gave Jesus the strength to endure the shame of all the world? We need an answer, don't we? Like Jesus we are tempted. Like Jesus we are accused. Like Jesus we are ashamed. But unlike Jesus, we give up. We give out. We sit down. How can we keep running as Jesus did? How can our hearts have endurance Jesus had?
By focusing where Jesus focused: on, "the joy that God put before Him." (Hebrews 12:2)
He, "accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him." In His final moments, Jesus was able to focus on the prize of heaven. By focusing on the prize, he was able not only to finish the race, but to finish it strong!
Surrounded by saints and engulfed by Jesus himself, the work will, indeed, be finished. The final harvest will have been gathered, we will be seated, and Christ will christien the meal with these words: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23 KJV)