We have all read 1 Corinthians 13 many, many times. It is read at weddings as a scripture to model the love in one's marriage after...it was read at ours... I even have it hanging in my house. But do we really follow it?? The part that stuck out to me this morning was verse 5... "It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged". It was like the words were slapping me in the face... hard!! How many times can we say we do just the opposite in own homes, with our own family, the ones we love the most. Maybe I am just writing this for myself and no one else. The people I take out my frustrations with I love the most. My irritability, with everything going on around me, affects those innocent people around me. My husband gets it when he comes home from work when it has nothing to do with him (maybe sometimes he's the culprit). My kids get it when I have an internal issue with myself. Now don't get me wrong, my kids are not perfect and do cause me frustration. However, there is no reason why I should snap at others when I dislike myself or the way my day is going. Wow!! I am really getting correction this morning!!
Then, there's the last statement of the verse... "it keeps no record of being wronged". Yow!! Do we really love this way. Think about the person at work... maybe we don't love them like we love our family BUT we do have to show love to them. That means not keep track of how many times they screw up and no one notices or how many times they wrong us... revenge is out of the question. That ex who treated us like dirt...we gotta let it go. The family member who wronged us... let it go. God gave us the people in our lives for a reason. I have a family member who has wronged me and hurt me in so many ways but I am learning to let it go...I don't want to lash out and hurt them back anymore. I think about times when Mike makes me mad and I think "well you just wait until..." and I stew over it. Or when couples fight and bring up things from the past that the other one has done to them. Just let it go. Love like you wanna be loved!! The golden rule from childhood... treat others as you want to be treated. I have got to work on all this myself!! Why is it we are so rude to the people we share a home with but the people at church or our friends get our best?? Maybe it's because we know those in our home will love us anyway??
I pray that God will really help me in this area of my life. I pray that the holy spirit will give me a little nudge of correction when I mess up. Thank you God for loving me through all my mess ups!! And thank you for giving me a family who loves me through them also.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Matthew 14:24-31
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "it's a ghost!!" 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage, I am here!" 28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." 29 "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he sat the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
Wow!! I read this with my devotion this morning. Many times I have read these words but for some reason I stopped and read it slower than normal this morning. How many times are we out in rough waters with waves crashing all around us...awake at 3am not knowing what to do?? How many times are we in Peter's position?? We call out to God, get out of the boat with strong faith, but then we give in to the storm around us and let it consume us again. Then we feel like we are going to be consumed by the crashing waves instead of engulfed by God's protection around us. It is so easy to look around at the news or just daily life and give up hope. It would be so easy for the woman who just lost her fiance or the family who just lost their son or the mom whose baby is fighting for his life to give up on hope and life... to be swallowed by despair. But God tells us in the verses above...come to me...don't be afraid... have faith...take courage!! God NEVER, EVER tells us in the bible...wow, your problem is way to big for me... I can't handle it...You are gonna have to deal with this one on your own. Nope, God always gives us a way out. Most of the time when my worry and anxiety keep me up at night it's over things I have absolutely NO control over!!! There have been so many times when I have been standing in the boat, looking over the side, scared to death to climb out. At these moments I am usually looking around for ways that God is gonna work it out...thinking " well, maybe I could do this and this or that will happen." Then, I raise my eyes toward Jesus and the response I usually get is something like this... umm, hello Leshia... you are not the captain of this ship, I am... just stop looking around for how you can fix it and just step out... I am right here like I always am!! How reassuring that we don't have to handle the waves and the storm on our own. BUT, we must have the faith to step out of the boat. Baby steps and faith the size of a mustard seed.
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "it's a ghost!!" 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage, I am here!" 28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." 29 "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he sat the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
Wow!! I read this with my devotion this morning. Many times I have read these words but for some reason I stopped and read it slower than normal this morning. How many times are we out in rough waters with waves crashing all around us...awake at 3am not knowing what to do?? How many times are we in Peter's position?? We call out to God, get out of the boat with strong faith, but then we give in to the storm around us and let it consume us again. Then we feel like we are going to be consumed by the crashing waves instead of engulfed by God's protection around us. It is so easy to look around at the news or just daily life and give up hope. It would be so easy for the woman who just lost her fiance or the family who just lost their son or the mom whose baby is fighting for his life to give up on hope and life... to be swallowed by despair. But God tells us in the verses above...come to me...don't be afraid... have faith...take courage!! God NEVER, EVER tells us in the bible...wow, your problem is way to big for me... I can't handle it...You are gonna have to deal with this one on your own. Nope, God always gives us a way out. Most of the time when my worry and anxiety keep me up at night it's over things I have absolutely NO control over!!! There have been so many times when I have been standing in the boat, looking over the side, scared to death to climb out. At these moments I am usually looking around for ways that God is gonna work it out...thinking " well, maybe I could do this and this or that will happen." Then, I raise my eyes toward Jesus and the response I usually get is something like this... umm, hello Leshia... you are not the captain of this ship, I am... just stop looking around for how you can fix it and just step out... I am right here like I always am!! How reassuring that we don't have to handle the waves and the storm on our own. BUT, we must have the faith to step out of the boat. Baby steps and faith the size of a mustard seed.
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