when hard days come...
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
Today was a hard day. It wasn't a bad day by any means. It was a good day, just a hard one. But it's okay to have hard days.
It was the sermon that did it for me. Sometimes a really challenging message can cause us to shrink away. To run. To keep ourselves outside of the church doors and the Word of God because conviction hurts. But conviction is good for us. It's good for us to be challenged. Contrary to popular belief, our opinions and feelings are not fact. At least, not for God's children. God's word is truth, and it's truth that causes is to dig deeper than we feel comfortable going. It causes us to look into those parts of our hearts, our thoughts, our actions that we'd rather just stuff down and forget about. Because deep down, we know. We aren't hearing anything that surprises us. We just don't like to hear it.
I came home and laid down for my Sunday afternoon nap. I just needed some silence and rest because my heart and my brain were overwhelmed. Have been overwhelmed. Have been so full of words that I find myself at a loss for words. I just needed to think. Days of silence to think. To process. And I needed a big Jesus hug and a reminder that I'm not a hopeless mess. Sometimes I really feel like I am.
Here's the thing. I am so exhausted, so tired of reading opinions. I do it to myself, really. I read because I like to write. And, sure, it's good to read good what others have to say because it opens our eyes to different perspectives we may have never considered before. But I'm almost to the point of wanting to claw my eyeballs out because my brain can't take it. In fact, I don't know that anyone's can. I think we're overloading ourselves so much that we don't even know what to think anymore. We hear one thing, and well, that makes sense. It's a good point. And then we read something else, and well, that makes sense, too. And then we feel confused, conflicted, because everyone is so passionate. Everyone is so opinionated. And everyone is pretty confident that they've got it right.
But I've been reading Paul's letters. I think the Bible is really what we need to have our noses stuck in. I think that's the book we need to be referencing for everything. The one we need to be quoting and using to form our thoughts and opinions. And I found strange comfort as I read through Galatians and Ephesians. Paul is laying it out there for them. He doesn't sugar coat the message so there is no question to what Paul is saying, and we really just need to hear it how it is. Anyway, Paul is writing these letters to churches in about 50-60AD. Okay, that's a really long time ago. And they're facing the same things in their time that we're facing in ours. The world really doesn't look any different thousands of years later. Strange that no matter how much some things change, they stay the same.
And as I read over these letters, the Lord said, "Brittnye, this isn't new to me. These things you're worried about. The things that are going on. This isn't new stuff. This doesn't surprise me. I've seen this, I've handled this before. I knew it was coming. I know everything, remember? And so you don't need to waste your time worrying about what's to come. Remember how I told you that worrying won't add a day to your life? It won't change things, either. The only thing worry changes is your heart. It makes you afraid. It makes you mad. It makes you begin to doubt in my plan. But I will take care of everything, just as I always have. And all I want you to do is keep your eyes on me. I want you to keep trusting in me. I want you to keep living your life according to my commands no matter what. Just keep seeking me, my will, and I will lead you down the right path. Sure, it's going to get confusing and crazy, but you don't have to understand it. You just need to understand that my ways are good, my ways are perfect, and your obedience and devotion pleases my heart. I'll show you what to do, what to say, you just keep listening to me."
"So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity, for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." - Ephesians 5:15-17
Today was a hard day. It wasn't a bad day by any means. It was a good day, just a hard one. But it's okay to have hard days.
It was the sermon that did it for me. Sometimes a really challenging message can cause us to shrink away. To run. To keep ourselves outside of the church doors and the Word of God because conviction hurts. But conviction is good for us. It's good for us to be challenged. Contrary to popular belief, our opinions and feelings are not fact. At least, not for God's children. God's word is truth, and it's truth that causes is to dig deeper than we feel comfortable going. It causes us to look into those parts of our hearts, our thoughts, our actions that we'd rather just stuff down and forget about. Because deep down, we know. We aren't hearing anything that surprises us. We just don't like to hear it.
I came home and laid down for my Sunday afternoon nap. I just needed some silence and rest because my heart and my brain were overwhelmed. Have been overwhelmed. Have been so full of words that I find myself at a loss for words. I just needed to think. Days of silence to think. To process. And I needed a big Jesus hug and a reminder that I'm not a hopeless mess. Sometimes I really feel like I am.
Here's the thing. I am so exhausted, so tired of reading opinions. I do it to myself, really. I read because I like to write. And, sure, it's good to read good what others have to say because it opens our eyes to different perspectives we may have never considered before. But I'm almost to the point of wanting to claw my eyeballs out because my brain can't take it. In fact, I don't know that anyone's can. I think we're overloading ourselves so much that we don't even know what to think anymore. We hear one thing, and well, that makes sense. It's a good point. And then we read something else, and well, that makes sense, too. And then we feel confused, conflicted, because everyone is so passionate. Everyone is so opinionated. And everyone is pretty confident that they've got it right.
But I've been reading Paul's letters. I think the Bible is really what we need to have our noses stuck in. I think that's the book we need to be referencing for everything. The one we need to be quoting and using to form our thoughts and opinions. And I found strange comfort as I read through Galatians and Ephesians. Paul is laying it out there for them. He doesn't sugar coat the message so there is no question to what Paul is saying, and we really just need to hear it how it is. Anyway, Paul is writing these letters to churches in about 50-60AD. Okay, that's a really long time ago. And they're facing the same things in their time that we're facing in ours. The world really doesn't look any different thousands of years later. Strange that no matter how much some things change, they stay the same.
And as I read over these letters, the Lord said, "Brittnye, this isn't new to me. These things you're worried about. The things that are going on. This isn't new stuff. This doesn't surprise me. I've seen this, I've handled this before. I knew it was coming. I know everything, remember? And so you don't need to waste your time worrying about what's to come. Remember how I told you that worrying won't add a day to your life? It won't change things, either. The only thing worry changes is your heart. It makes you afraid. It makes you mad. It makes you begin to doubt in my plan. But I will take care of everything, just as I always have. And all I want you to do is keep your eyes on me. I want you to keep trusting in me. I want you to keep living your life according to my commands no matter what. Just keep seeking me, my will, and I will lead you down the right path. Sure, it's going to get confusing and crazy, but you don't have to understand it. You just need to understand that my ways are good, my ways are perfect, and your obedience and devotion pleases my heart. I'll show you what to do, what to say, you just keep listening to me."
"So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity, for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." - Ephesians 5:15-17
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