Why The "Panicking Christian"?

Like most Christians, I occasionally find myself in a borderline, all out panic about something which I already knew, but seem to have forgotten or that I only knew in my head, as opposed to my heart. And mercifully, God decides to show me what is really going on or what it is that I needed to know, before I completely lose my mind.

So the writing within is just that. It is that which God has shown and taught me while I was typically in one of those times in my life. Since the way in which He has chosen to reveal things to me tend to be fairly easy to follow and understand, I am sharing them via this format. That said, I take no glory for any of this. It is God whom has given me the ability to write, and it is He who has given me the content to write as well and He who saved me by His glorious grace in the first place.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Eye of the Hurricane

Some of this post is from posts I put up on my social media (Facebook) page, some of it is not.
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Whether consciously or not, we all set something as our center in "our world" but if we set something in that place that is temporary - whether person or thing - then there is a chance that someday we find ourselves lost and adrift and without purpose for living at all should that center be gone.

If your reason for being is your significant other, what happens if that relationship ends? If the center of your world revolves around your children, what happens if things are not going well, or they leave or something much more tragic happens? If your career is the center of your universe, what happens if that is taken away from you or it just ends?

I am not saying these things cannot be very, very significant parts of your world but to make them the center of it, and your reason for existing, when any or all of them could leave your life without warning may be worth rethinking a bit.

For me, God is my center. He is eternal so no worries on Him coming to an untimely end. And, even in times when I was not exactly "faithful" in this relationship of ours, He was - He stayed with me even though I did not deserve it, so He is not about to go anywhere anytime soon.

I am not saying you have to have God as your center - that is something between you two - but, since we all need to have 'something' in there, in that place, then does it not make sense to have that be something greater - and far less finite - than ourselves.

Now then, as believers we know God is to be our center and reason for being and we may even say He is, but is He? Is He really everything to us or is something (or someone) else the center of our world and He is merely a part of it?  If that relationship ends or our children leave us or our career disappears or that ministry falls apart, are we left grieving, yet still standing, or do we find ourselves so devastated that, if He were not holding onto us, we would sink beneath the waves never to resurface again? 

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.

All your life, people have "made sure" you knew how worthless you were. Those closest to you have treated you like little more than trash and made sure you knew how much of a disappointment you were. They have done so, so often, and for so long you "know" this to be the truth about you.

God says you are worth more than all the gold in Fort Knox - that you are wonderful, beautiful and amazing - very, very much the opposite of what those people closest to your heart say.

To love Him - above and beyond all others- is to take His word over theirs. His opinion over their opinion, no matter how often they try and tell or show you differently, taking what He says to be the truth in spite them or even your own heart.

Does this hold true for others in your world or is it indeed only God's view which actually matters?  If your parents or spouse occasionally say or do things which make you feel worthless, do you take that in as truth or do you let it slide because you take God's word over theirs? If your children treat you poorly or say things which make you feel like a failure or of no value, do you take that in and make that a reality in your heart and mind or do you simply grieve the comments but rest in the reality of what God says you truly are?

These are things well worth pondering and being totally, truly honest about with yourself and with God - maybe for the first time ever.

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