This was a scene in my room yesterday, before heading down the hill for a sister date. My day could have gone in a totally different direction had I let those thoughts that weren't of God engulf me. Actually, my days, in general can go in terrible, TERRIBLE directions for allowing peeves, workload, and nasty attitudes pang my existence. seriously. I am sitting here, typing this, 3 hours before my late shift, well aware that after Sunday, I will be working 9 days straight. I want to scream, I want to cry, I want throw tantrums and be angry with everyone. Alas! how blessed am I to be able to say that? to be able to say that I actually have work, that I am getting sufficient hours so I can pay bills and save for future endeavors. THAT IS A CRAZY BLESSING. Yet all I want to think about is how exhausted I am going to be, how annoying customers are going to get on my nerves, how I am getting a cold and just want to be in bed. Perspective is insane. We all stand at this crossroad, daily, don't we? we can either go down "Wallowing Lane" and let negative thing after negative thing get the best of us/ or go down "Power Through Valley" and allow God to do what He wants to do in us, through us, around us. We are not skilled to understand what God has built, what God has planned. Life is incredibly painful, tiresome, and downright defeating sometimes... yet imagine, if we used those experiences to inspire, to motivate, to minister.. If we looked at our pain as a platform, as a "passport" (props to Pastor Levi Lusko for that line) to be salt and light.
I absolutely get not wanting to ADULT or even wanting to be alive. I get that sometimes, you feel like the ugliest human ever, that sometimes work seems like they're taking over your life, that sometimes the people you love most don't always show that they love you. I GET IT because I deal with that daily. How awesome to know that God is fighting for us though?! "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14
The Devil is scheming--the devil WANTS to see you cry, he wants you to choose Wallowing Lane, he wants you to get angry at your coworkers, he wants you to think you're unworthy, he wants every bad possible thing to happen to you. HE CANNOT AND WILL NOT WIN. That is why it is important to see every possible challenge as an OPPORTUNITY..to RISE.. to use your microphone (again, thanks Pastor Levi Lusko) (seriously, just read Through The Eyes Of A Lion, you'll know what i'm referring to) and to treat life with a warrior attitude.
God loves us. radically. unconditionally. He died for us... c'mon... (John 3:16) and when I remember that, I'm like what the heck am I doing? why am I letting the devil win? DUDE.... Jesus went through the worst thing ever and came out victorious!! If that doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will.
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4
Jesus is our light;
I'm holding on to that.
