Are you ever disappointed by circumstances, by people who should act differently than they do, by people who read this last phrase and think that's it's about someone else? Okay, so I've been disappointed this week. We all get there. Things happen that discourage us, but we can't let these circumstances stir up the wrong responses. We can get angry. Anger is a good thing, a healthy thing. Jesus got angry, but he didn't sin. Our anger, our responses must be right, honorable, gracious, Christ-like; even if it means taking up a whip or a cross.
Yes, disappointment can cut like a knife, it can hurt deeply.
I needed Jude's encouragement this week. At the beginning of his letter he writes, "Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way." He was writing to a church where there were conflicts, enemies within their own ranks, who didn't have God at the center of their lives or their agendas. He was helping the faithful stay on track when it seemed like the whole church had been derailed by a few. His encouragement is simple, God knows their actions, their hearts and will judge them accordingly.
"But you dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, by keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!"
I think Jude's words are for all of us no matter what the difficulty in our life is. Whether we should be disappointed or angered, hurt or betrayed, the answer is the same.
When life is hard, pray
When life is confusing, pray
When there seem to be no answers, pray.
When others let you down, don't get resentful, just pray.
Prayer is the key to God. It's where our real selves get connected to the real of God. It's where we get answers, help, hope, encouragement. It's here that we discover real life, the source of life. I've known this for years. I've practiced it for years. But some days I need reminded of the simplest things that can strengthen my faith, my resolve.
I need to live in the center of God's love.
It's only from here that I can respond to life in the most Christ-like fashion.
I need to pray, and I have, and I do, and I will and I am, even now.
You should, too.
Peace ><>
pc
3 comments:
When I was younger and someone hurt my feelings or disappointed me I would always come home upset and my mom would always tell me to go back to school the next day and ask God to bless that person...do it all day long. I always did and without fail the situation always seemed better...she still gives me that advice today..I am still faced with people hurting me or disappointing me and mom always tells me to ask God to bless that person...and do it without ceasing. What I know now that I didn't know then or realize then was that while I was asking God's blessing on those who have disappointed or hurt me He was not only transforming them...He was also transforming me. In asking for the blessing I became the one who was blessed...and maybe it was the change in me that really made the difference in the relationship. My husband recently expressed his experience in spending an entire day blessing everyone he came in contact with. He said it was an amazing day...a day he felt extremely close to God.
Go about the day asking God to bless those who hurt us the most...and watch his beauty come shining through...both in them and in you!!
It's interesting how God works this way. And how a simple prayer for someone else can be so powerful.
Years ago I thought it would be good to designate time throughout the day to just sit and pray. It didn't work too well, but I adopted the constant (or ceaseless) prayer concept instead. Now im not constantly in prayer, although that would be awesome and I wish I was able to do that, but I do find myself whispering under my breath or singing praise songs during work or school without putting them to voice and everytime I realize what im doing it makes me smile.
Praying is an amazing tool we are given, It would be so hard without it, I cant really imagine.
The other amazing thing is when you feel prayers, at least thats the way I understand it, when you just get a feeling someone is thinking about you and cares about you. Sometimes you feel compelled to pray for them whoever they are and you begin to realize that if we are all doing that you almost have an invisible network of communication and blessing. Like a wireless network connected to God with unlimited bandwidth and limitless potential. It is fun to think about and even greater to participate in.
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