When Well-Intended Words Hurt
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) What do we say to comfort…
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) What do we say to comfort…
Wisdom is a treasure greater than human impulse, intelligence, or information. So, not only is it okay to ask God for help, He encourages us to seek His wisdom. Seeking wisdom means searching for God’s perspective. Once we’ve found it, we can apply His directions to our lives.
A skewed perspective can also make our problems seem worse than they are. A pebble appears huge when viewed up close. But when viewed from a distance, it looks small. Similarly, while we perceive our difficulties as insurmountable boulders, even mountains, God sees them as mere pebbles on our path. God even tells us “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.’ declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8, NIV)
Perspective can cloud our judgment about people and make our problems seem worse. But we can seek a Godly perspective about people, places, and problems in life.
I woke up from a bad dream feeling stressed, yet again. In my mind were all the things I’d done wrong and all the things I needed to do. I cried out to God for help, Yet that anxious feeling remained as I dragged myself out of bed.
I am unfortunately prone to a pattern of giving my problems to God, then immediately picking them back up and refusing to let them go. Over the years I have e learned that God doesn’t always answer my prayers when and how I ask, I’ve also seen how He always shows up and acts on my behalf. In fact, when I look back on my life I see countless times where He has worked His good plans even out of seemingly bad situations. Yet, my obsessive need to find a solution on my own persists. Instead, I need to trust God. Trust is letting go.
“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:8, NIV) Have you ever felt like everything in your life was falling to pieces? After spending a lifetime building…
When life is tough, we find ourselves on our knees. We seek help and reassurance in prayer. But what if I said, it was more important to seek God even on the good days? This is because you cannot pour from an empty cup. And God alone fills our cup.
What do you do when your heart is breaking and you can’t understand? Yesterday, a close friend passed away. He’d been in a motorcycle accident and had massive internal bleeding and injuries. But despite the best efforts of the ICU doctors, and being surrounded by praying friends and family for four days, his body was too tired to fight any longer. When he passed I could barely breathe. I felt as if I had nothing left inside me.
My grandmother always used to say, “Life is like a rollercoaster.” Now that I am older, I can definitely see her wisdom in this simple statement. Life is awesome, Then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between it’s an ordinary accustomed routine. So how do we find peace in the middle of all the turmoil?
It was at this point of brokenness I began seeking God. And as I sought the Lord and dug into my bible, I realized I’d been believing a lie. Everyone is lovable. God created us in His own image and likeness. God loves us simply because we are His. In fact, God loves us so much He sent Jesus to save us even when we were still sinners. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV)