I often wonder why do our feelings get hurt and would equate these "negative" responses to an inability to handle the many issues of life or a weakness. Later, I found out that this is completely false. Reading over Exodus 20, I began to see that God experienced emotions(not a popular saying) the same as the masterpiece He created. He reminds us that He is a jealous God and warns us not to place another before Him. He doesn't want us spending(wasting) time on something(someone) that does not hold the solution to our struggles. Further, we see Jesus displaying an array of emotions: anger at the actions of hypocritical leadership, sadness at the death of Lazarus, disappointment at the disciples lack of trust during a storm, anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane, and abandonment at Calvary. Seeing these emotional responses from God helped me to view hurt feelings in a more positive light. God designed these "negative" emotions as an internal warning system and a first line of defense to guard our hearts and minds against potential or impending danger. They put us on alert that something is not as it seems and to proceed with extreme caution. They are like the check engine light on a car or a smoke detector sounding off. The lights and sounds doesn't always indicate danger, but they do save lives. Because we have been conditioned to view the light or the sound as the problem, we fail to look beneath the surface to get to the real issue that caused the warning to go off in the first place. Even though hurt feelings may not feel good, they are still a gift from God. So, be thankful for the disappointments and embrace being uncomfortable, for a little while. They both could be saving you from something you are not prepared to handle right now.
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I think one of the most difficult things that a human being encounters is the notion of faith and belief. Because of our human nature and the physiology of the human creation, we are created with senses. We are naturally inclined to hear, smell, taste, touch, and see. The more I mature in my walk with the Lord, I have been noticing that the natural senses are almo...st always subject to the spiritual. What I mean is that the spiritual life seems to be in contrast with the natural life (Galatians 5).
It's starting to make so much more sense that "faith" really is the "evidence of things not seen," and that a spiritually driven life is a life of constant faith and belief. Because we are so uniquely crafted as human beings, we don't naturally trust someone we can't see, especially when there is pain and uncertainty involved in our own personal story. When we've found ourselves engulfed and buried inside one of life's many storms, it becomes a lot easier to self-protect to avoid the suffering. My daily pursuit has been that of relentlessly asking the Lord for the grace to trust Him, no matter what my daily circumstances look like to my human eyes. Because we are human, we don't see or know what He does. We don't see the intricate crafting of our story the way He does. I'm discovering that I actually like being surprised and that the Holy Spirit loves to surprise us all the time. In time, if we can just stand and not look to the right or left, we will see how his hand has been spinning us on the wheel like clay in the Potter's hands. No matter what we face in our personal lives, I pray that we would be awakened to the knowledge and truth of the goodness of God in all situations. #AfterTheStorm It’s so funny how we say that we want God to have His way in our lives without thinking what that statement fully implies. I can remember saying yes to His will and yes to His way, no matter the costs. I was sold out for the Lord and nothing could shake me, so I thought. When the moment came for me to live up to what I had been saying, I threw a tantrum like a three-year old toddler. Here I was, at the climax of a shift in my life and my husband asked me for a divorce. Everything that I had been telling others to do when they were faced with a situation went straight out the window. There was no stop, drop, and pray or “stand still” moment. Oh, no sir, no ma’am! I was sick and tired of my friends telling me that “all things work together for the good….blah, blah, blah!” Good? What good was there in divorce? I didn’t see anything good about what was happening to me or my children. I was hurt, mad, and was in no mood for a scripture. All of those cookie-cutter clichés brought me no comfort. If anything, they angered me. I was angry with my husband for dragging me across the country to leave me; then I got mad at God for allowing him to do it. It wasn’t the divorce itself but how it was done. I prayed and cried, and cried and prayed, yet God didn’t intervene. I made a vow that God and I were going to have a face-to-face and I wasn’t going to leave Him alone until He gave me some answers. For three weeks I fussed, cursed, screamed, yelled, and cried at God hoping that He would show Himself and say something or do something. Yet, He remained silent. Who would want to serve a God that remained silent when it felt like everything inside you was being torn to shreds? I would. Although God had been silent, He still had me in His hands. Nothing that was done was to hurt me; but to mature me and prepare me for His use. Basically, I was a nut that needed to be cracked. Lol! Yes, the cracking was painful and I twisted and turned in the process, but He never let the “good part” slip out of His grasp.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for being such a kind and merciful God. I thank you for cracking the layers of hurt, pain, and anger to get to the good part. At times, I may not understand your ways but I know they are right and they are purposeful. Never let me forget that it was you and you alone that has kept me and held me through it all. I love you and will bless your name forevermore, Amen. "The Good Part" is an excerpt from the anthology I coauthored "Passion Unleashed: Bring Your Best Self to God" Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble |
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