Hindsight. Insight. Wisdom. Just plain ol' sight. Whatever works, here's my take-away:
In life, we all know that ups and downs will come. Sometimes we are prepared for them, sometimes we suffer deeply through them. Sometimes we are in denial about them or don't even recognize it (many a times in the "ups" stage). I've learned that in most of these opposite end of the spectrum stages, we tend to look in all the wrong places for support, encouragement and the stuff that truly feeds our soul. Whether in high or low, we feast on crumbs. For me, I have been in a constant cycle of only feasting on Truth when my life is mediocre. When the bad comes I crumble, when the good comes I boast. Through a time of avoiding the Word and Truth FULLY, [aka I was still attending church, but not soaking in anything] I have learned to interpret these times and things differently.
When I came out of this "avoidance" stage (THANK you to the loves who encouraged me and prayed over me daily), I made the conclusion that every part of my life is from God and every person is a gift, or a vessel as I like to say. In viewing the people in my life as vessels, not gifts I am able to see Christ a lot more in my life. In the past, I would say, "Well, I don't need so and so in my life anyways, they totally weren't an encouragement to my walk." Now, I see them as a vessel, strategically placed in my life, at that moment to act as a "teacher" for me. They are no longer a person I can chose to want or need or not want or not need.
Accepting people in your life as vessels looks like this:
"I have this really awesome new friend and they are so great at keeping me accountable and I love our conversations, but God, I know that tomorrow they could be gone, for whatever reason. And for that, I am grateful for the work they have already done in my life and I will not be spiteful if you remove them from my life. They were never mine in the first place. I am thankful we were able to serve each other/they were a stepping stone in my walk/their life attracted me back to you."
Viewing relationships like that is tough. But it is something I am praying for daily. Mainly to keep my heart from getting selfish and also from putting a great friendship on a higher pedestal than God himself.
Count every person in your life as a gift, but think of ways they are also a vessel (you are to them too!).
Ask yourself what you think certain relationships are building up or maybe tearing down for you? Would you be angry at God for removing a certain vessel from your life? Why or why not? If the answer is "No, I would like Him to eliminate that one, STAT" then pray for an open heart to relationships that just seem so difficult. I promise He has a plan for that. Persevere. Learn the lesson. Become stronger.
If the answer is "No, I couldn't live without them!" then pray for relationships to take a back seat and reevaluate how you treasure your Savior. Do you cling to Him or the support group He's given you?
It's been a daily battle, but by praying for a state of hands off, "laissez-faire" if you will, of who or what comes into my life, my gaze is continually being refocused on God, not the wonderful people He graciously placed in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment