In A Relationship?
What would you consider to be some key ingredients in a relationship? How about just spending time together without giving or receiving anything and enjoying the company of your loved one? Our dog got sick recently. We are still not exactly sure of the cause. We think he may have eaten something he wasn’t supposed to. He is a total trash panda; or someone (cough, cough) fed him something he should not have eaten. We cannot prove the cause, all we know, after a very large vet bill, is that he has high cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes and needs to be on a diet. He is less than thrilled; let me tell you. The night we knew something was wrong, it came on suddenly. My daughter came home after school and made a snack. She dropped food on the floor, and Roy did not come running. That was a huge red flag. She called him, and he was very reluctant to respond to her—red flag number two. She offered him a slice of ham, and when he refused, she texted me, “Mom, something is wrong with Roy.” When I got home, he had vomited. I took him outside, and he was clearly in distress. He was pacing in circles and would not interact with us at all. That was so strange for him. He is always excited to see us when we get home. His eyes seemed distant, and he was twitching his head in a strange way. I decided to take him to the after-hours animal hospital because whatever was wrong seemed serious. The ride to the animal hospital was unsettling. He remained on the floorboard of the passenger side, twitching and acting as if I were not even in the car. Roy loves to go for a ride in the car, and he always sits on the armrest as my trusty co-pilot. When we arrived, I explained his symptoms to the triage technician. My main concern was his change in behavior. His lack of attention and affection for me was disturbing. I felt like a total weirdo saying this to her, but if you are a pet owner, you know what I mean. I brought him home, and he struggled through the night, but his symptoms did fade with time. We took him for a follow-up appointment the next day. He looked fairly normal and healthy to our vet, but to us, he still wasn’t acting right. Finally, on day three, when I got home from work, he came and sat near me. He took his usual spot on the couch with me. He has a very particular way of nestling into my bent knees and laying his head on my leg. Then he looked at my face with that loving look a dog can give his owner. I felt so relieved. “Roy, you’re back!” I did not realize how much it had been bothering me until he started acting like his old self again. He seemed relieved as well as he snuggled up next to me and seemed comforted by my presence, which was a huge relief. While he was sick, he did not want us to touch him. He was even hiding under my bed. In this particular moment, he did not want anything from me. There was no urgency to go outside, go for a walk, or for his bowl to be filled. He wasn’t sitting near me because I had a snack he was interested in. He was sitting with me because he just wanted ME! I was driving home from church on Sunday with my daughter in the front seat. We were recapping the week we had with our beloved Roy, and I was telling her the above story. We talked about how sad we felt when he did not find comfort in our family members. I told her how good it felt when he finally sat near me. He didn’t want anything from me; he just wanted to be near me. He felt the comfort my presence offered him, and as I said those words out loud, it hit me. I said to Claire, “Don’t you think that’s exactly how God feels about us?” Come near to God and God will come near to you. -James 4:8 She was quiet for a minute and gave me a knowing look. It makes so much sense. That’s what prayer is. That’s what time with God should look like. Of course, He is glad to bless us and meet our needs when they arise, but having a relationship is why He created us. I think that having a relationship with an invisible God can be a pretty difficult concept for many people. However, if you have ever felt the feeling I’m describing with a pet or even a child, you have the capacity to experience a relationship with God. He desires a relationship with us. As we well know, the only way to strengthen a relationship is to spend time together. I challenge you to just sit in the presence of God this week. Make time aside from the prayer requests and just rest your head on His knee. Download the YouVersion Bible App. Spend time getting to know your Father in Heaven.
How Do You Forgive?
What comes to your mind when you hear the word forgive? That can be a loaded question, right?!? Is forgiveness something that you hope to receive, but you struggle to give? Whether you are a follower of Jesus or not, I would submit that this statement is true. “Not forgiving someone who has wronged you is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person dies.” Think about that for a moment. So often, when we hold on to the anger and bitterness, it just eats away at us. We’ve all had people who have wronged us in our lives. It may have been in the past, or it may be happening right now. Either way, we have a choice. You have a choice. Forgive that person, or let it eat you alive. Forgiveness is NOT EASY! Years ago, Staples had a fun advertising ad where they said they could easily fix all our office needs. Just hit the easy button and Staples will fix it. I so wish it was that way for us and forgiveness. There is a wild little book in the Bible called Hosea. In the book, God called Hosea to take back his wife, “Gomer” (yes, a very odd name for a lady). One problem for Hosea was that his wife had been unfaithful in their marriage. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, had cheated on him not once, but multiple times and was currently with another man. Talk about a tough marriage situation! God asked Hosea to take back his wife to symbolically show his people how He still loves us in spite of us turning our backs on him multiple times. (Hosea 3:1) Hosea boldly went out and took his wife back, and he loved her unconditionally. The people saw this and had an amazing one-sentence reply. “Come, let us return to the Lord.” (Hosea 6:1) So Simple—Return to God So often we humans like to make things so complicated, but it can be very simple. Let’s forgive others and forgive ourselves, and then return to God. Allow him to do his best work in us today. Who do you need to forgive? I encourage you to take a few minutes right now to think about that. Now I encourage you to go to God for comfort and peace. What do you need God to forgive in you? Be honest with yourself. I encourage you to go to God right now and allow him to forgive you immediately. Scripture encourages us so beautifully with this verse, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) Check out this message on What the Bible Says About Forgiving.
How To Identify And Overcome Pride
Let’s talk about blind spots, but not the ones on the road. Today we’re talking about the blind spot of pride. Pride is easy to see in other people, and we can all think of an example of an arrogant or prideful person who crossed our path in the past. You may have heard someone glorifying their abilities and accomplishments with their own words. Or you may have witnessed a very wealthy person speak about their material possessions as the result of their hard work and success. Seeing our own pride is near impossible without some help. Where Are Your Blind Spots? It’s usually a turn-off when you encounter a bold and prideful person, but have you ever considered the idea that you too may suffer from a pride problem? If you are shaking your head as you read this, saying to yourself, I am definitely not full of pride. I actually lean more toward insecurity than pride. You may be just like me. I was sitting in church one day listening to a message on pride, tuning most of it out because it did not seem to pertain to me. Then I was struck with the convincing truth that I too had a pride problem. You can check out the Message Here. It snuck into my life as a “blind spot.” A blind spot, by definition, is just as it sounds. It’s an area where a person’s view is obstructed. In the area of pride, this simply means that you are unaware of your own sin of pride. For the arrogant professional athlete boasting to the media about his skill, the problem of pride is obvious. But have you ever failed to seek advice because you thought you already knew the answers? Have you ever sought out the advice that the world offers rather than seeking God’s truth because you place a higher value on what others think? Then you may have a pride problem. How To Identify Pride Some may call them problems or blind spots, but as Rachelle Ferguson pointed out in her message, How To Change When The Hits Keep Coming, it’s really called pride. Pride shows up in two ways We think we know when we really don’t. We take credit for God’s work in our lives. I have been guilty of seeking the advice and approval of my friends and family before God when I have had a big problem. I believe the lie that the problem is mine to solve, and seeking God’s wisdom is, sadly, sometimes the last thing I do. If I’m being really honest, when I am upset, confused, worried, or offended I will even seek the comfort and advice of the people in my life that I know will agree with me rather than the advice of those I respect, because it is easier. Joyce Meyer has a really cheesy saying, but it is so true that it has stuck in my brain for many years. She says, “before you go to the phone, go to the throne.” I know! Silly, but oh so true. When I am tempted to call a friend for some unhealthy conversation, I think of how true this statement is. Have I gone to God with this problem? If not, why? Is it because I don’t really want wisdom, I just want someone to agree with me that I am right? Ouch, that’s pride. It says in Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” If you are truly seeking wisdom, then seek God.” Proverbs 16:5 says “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished.” I know that sounds aggressive, but here is the point that must not be missed! God does not hate the sin of pride just because it’s unbecoming or arrogant. He detests pride because PRIDE IS A HINDRANCE TO SEEKING GOD. Where Do You Look? If you are acting in pride, you are looking inward or outward but not upward. God wants you to lean on and trust in Him in all things. This does not mean trust Him with the big things and micromanage the small things yourself. I was guilty of this myself. When my son was very sick, I found it easy to turn everything over to God. Cancer seemed so much bigger than me. I couldn’t figure it out, plan through it, or fix it. I instantly surrendered it to God. However, the smaller things seemed to cause me more stress and heartache, if you can imagine that. I believe the reason is that I decided I could be in control of the smaller things. God wants to be on the throne of your life. Pride wants to put you on the throne of your life. So spend some time reflecting, and if you find you spend your days constantly striving to make your own life better rather than focusing on the hope God has for you, you may have a blind spot, better known as pride. If you find yourself in this place, there is hope. God will help you reveal your blind spots. James 4:6-7 says “But he gives us more GRACE. That is why scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”