Well I see that I did not get too many responses to my last post.
It really threw me for a loop this morning. You know those times you read scripture and it hits you like a ton of bricks?
That is how it hit me this morning. I could not get past it.
So I asked for a little help. Thank you to those who responded--or tried to.
Most times my devotions by Mr Chambers are tough but I don't know that I have ever read something that I thought might be a little off. I have been reading these for years and this never hit me before. Maybe it is where I am right now. Dealing with those who seem unloving and critical and it is bugging the heck out of me.
I tried to catch Mom at home to see what her old version of this day said-- but I could not catch her. Mine is an edited updated version since my old one took on a little of my morning coffee a year or two ago.
So these are my thoughts on the following statement.
"Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him."
Do you know the scripture that says basically-Don't try and take the splinter out of someone else's eye when you have a log in your own?
There have been many times when something about someone has driven me crazy. It glares at me and I can't seem to be around them without thinking about it.
And I am not talking about nit picky stuff. Maybe they are not patient or they don't have a thankful heart or maybe they have an uncontrollable temper.
In the past I would have become lost in a judgmental attitude. But God began to deal with me about this by turning my thoughts about another ---on myself.
I would see someone in their "problem" and as soon as my mind began to -go there-God would yank my chain. It might have sounded something like this.
"Sharon, do you remember the time when I blessed you and you didn't even recognize me. Not only that, you just thought it was good fortune. Did I think ugly thoughts about you? No, I just knew that one day you would see the events for what they were and I loved you through it."
Hmmmmm.
So-- God sent people my way, not necessarily to rub my nose in it, but to keep me humble and to teach me to pray. Pray for those who are getting ready to have to walk the same path that I walked. Sometimes those paths were pretty painful. How cool would it have been then to know that someone who had been there ---understood where I was and instead of judging me,
they prayed for me?
Those people are not sinning against me anyway. Remember David saying, Against You and You only have I sinned oh Lord.
If God is bringing people around you that make you really uncomfortable--take a look back.
Maybe you are far enough down the road spiritually that you need a reminder of who you were. And then when you remember-- thank Him for His grace and mercy.
And then pray for the one who has become the object of your focus.
Dealing with the ungrateful, irritating, angry, lazy, irrational, prideful people?
Don't forget to remember when.
And then as one who has been there--pray hard in love for those who are traveling
the road you traveled.
Does that sound like a legit explanation?
A little wordy but maybe it works. :)
It really threw me for a loop this morning. You know those times you read scripture and it hits you like a ton of bricks?
That is how it hit me this morning. I could not get past it.
So I asked for a little help. Thank you to those who responded--or tried to.
Most times my devotions by Mr Chambers are tough but I don't know that I have ever read something that I thought might be a little off. I have been reading these for years and this never hit me before. Maybe it is where I am right now. Dealing with those who seem unloving and critical and it is bugging the heck out of me.
I tried to catch Mom at home to see what her old version of this day said-- but I could not catch her. Mine is an edited updated version since my old one took on a little of my morning coffee a year or two ago.
So these are my thoughts on the following statement.
"Notice the kind of people that God brings around you, and you will be humiliated once you realize that this is actually His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him."
Do you know the scripture that says basically-Don't try and take the splinter out of someone else's eye when you have a log in your own?
There have been many times when something about someone has driven me crazy. It glares at me and I can't seem to be around them without thinking about it.
And I am not talking about nit picky stuff. Maybe they are not patient or they don't have a thankful heart or maybe they have an uncontrollable temper.
In the past I would have become lost in a judgmental attitude. But God began to deal with me about this by turning my thoughts about another ---on myself.
I would see someone in their "problem" and as soon as my mind began to -go there-God would yank my chain. It might have sounded something like this.
"Sharon, do you remember the time when I blessed you and you didn't even recognize me. Not only that, you just thought it was good fortune. Did I think ugly thoughts about you? No, I just knew that one day you would see the events for what they were and I loved you through it."
Hmmmmm.
So-- God sent people my way, not necessarily to rub my nose in it, but to keep me humble and to teach me to pray. Pray for those who are getting ready to have to walk the same path that I walked. Sometimes those paths were pretty painful. How cool would it have been then to know that someone who had been there ---understood where I was and instead of judging me,
they prayed for me?
Those people are not sinning against me anyway. Remember David saying, Against You and You only have I sinned oh Lord.
If God is bringing people around you that make you really uncomfortable--take a look back.
Maybe you are far enough down the road spiritually that you need a reminder of who you were. And then when you remember-- thank Him for His grace and mercy.
And then pray for the one who has become the object of your focus.
Dealing with the ungrateful, irritating, angry, lazy, irrational, prideful people?
Don't forget to remember when.
And then as one who has been there--pray hard in love for those who are traveling
the road you traveled.
Does that sound like a legit explanation?
A little wordy but maybe it works. :)
4 comments:
I'm sorry,
I meant to reply, but it has been a busy bee kind of day.
I really don't know how to answer, yet. I'm still chewing on it. But your ideas sound good.
I have a few questions for the Lord concerning Mr. Chambers' words. So when I hear, I will let you know.
With love and prayers,
holly
Sharon,
Even after I said what I did on the last post- I still had this on my mind today. I have to agree with Holly that I would like to hear from the Lord on this one too.
Well Sharon, when I read that statement, I was thinking along the same lines as you. We are all flawed people, every one of us, yet we tend to get on our high horse over someone else's transgressions. I think being Christ centered requires a lot of self examination ( in order to die to self) and causes us to focus on how we ourselves need to be more Christ like and how we have been unfaithful to the Lord in our own hearts. (that was a run on sentence, but I hope it made sense!)
I haven't been blogging the past few weeks. Sorry that I missed your post. I think Chambers did have it right, though. Often what we seen in others that irritates us, is what is in us.
Kate McVeigh said something -- she said that the Lord told her often when she meets the same kind of people there's something in her that needs to be dealt with.
I've run across several people lately and discovered that their root issues are my root issues and if I hadn't met them (had them irritate me) I wouldn't have known about my issues...or just kept ignoring them. Does that make sense?? So I have to just lay it out on the altar and say "Forgive me."
Sometimes this sort of revelation needs to be walked out and worked out...just like your doing now. You're working it out, praying it out. You'll do good and you'll never be the same, because this is deep thinking. :-)
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