ENOUGH ABOUT ME!
Don't you think so?
I was born a servant. A people pleaser. The two go hand-in-hand, but can be self-destructing if not kept in check.
I want to help people and see them find joy. Serving others in this fashion gives me joy in return. Greater joy than many other things in this world can give.
So -I pose my original question to you again: "How can I help you?"
What kind of fascinating subjects can I write to you about that will impact your life for the better and enable you to find joy in living?
(This question is being posed to my 2 followers at the time of this writing - I hope to gain more soon. Please follow and comment on my blog. I promise you wont be spammed and you wont be sorry.)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," ~Colossians 3:23 ♥
Oh my goodness...i just read that scripture in my devotional this morning! perfect. God, must be speaking to me through you about something.
ReplyDeleteJen, this is such a beautiful description of what many of us struggle with in life. Some of us can spend our entire life, wanting and desiring to walk in the rose garden, smelling the sweet aroma of the Holy Spirit, basking in the sun ignoring the fact that in order to dwell in Gods gracious garden, we too must endure a few thorns. The prayer you described by George Matheson is so powerful and definitely not an easy prayer. It is much harder to give thanks for our thorns that have inflicted us with suffering than it is to give thanks for the sun that sheds light to a new day, however they are both truly blessing indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt is through those thorns that God is than able to refine us, to mold us and shape us into what he desired our lives to become. I have had times in my own life where God has convicted me to not just probe the surface of my heart, but to go deeper, down through the tiny veins to the depth of my lifeline. It is in those small crevices that I have allowed a storage bin of pain, hoping that if I can only keep a lid sealed tightly, hidden for many years, no one will know or ever find out. Maybe the problem will just go away.
As all his followers come to find, Jesus does not just want a small portion of our hearts, he wants everything. He wants the tiny wounded areas so that he can shed light and only then begin to help us face our worst wounds, inflicted by these thorns.
Yes, I agree that everyone will experience thorns in their journey, for we live in a fallen world, one of sin and suffering. However I do not believe that we have to continue to carry the pain and hurt of those thorns forever. I believe that it is not Gods intention to leave us hurting and in pain. He does have a purpose in allowing this pain in our lives, it is used to help us with our growth. The thorn, once the inflicter, then becomes the healed wound turned into a scar. Left there to remind us of our experience, and a confirmation of Gods healing touch.
When a child first begins to walk a parent watches so closely, half way in fear that the child may fall and get hurt. The instinct of the protector begins to take hold, this is the same role our father in heaven has. Then he watches us soon learn how to run and make our own decisions. Now, we are allowed our freedom to choose right from wrong, sometimes we choose the wrong which then leads us into the path of thorns. We are allowed to live and learn through our experiences. It is then that God can come in and show us the area that we need his help in, he can come in if we allow him and start to work on mending the open flesh. It is not for us to listen to the enemy who wants us to believe that we are intended to be punished, to always carry this pain or suffering. Oh no, it is Jesus who is so ready to carry it for us. He is ready to clean and mend that wound to make it all nothing but a memory.
I was recently reading the book titled, "Captivating Woman", unveiling the beauty of a womans soul by John and Staci Eldridge. It was a very beautiful book that encouraged me to unlock areas in my own soul. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a good read, and also working through some of the wounds that have been caused by those thorns.
Thanks again Jen, for this motivating and great read. I really enjoyed your thoughts and the prayer.
Audrey
Jen, this is such a beautiful description of what many of us struggle with in life. Some of us can spend our entire life, wanting and desiring to walk in the rose garden, smelling the sweet aroma of the Holy Spirit, basking in the sun ignoring the fact that in order to dwell in Gods gracious garden, we too must endure a few thorns. The prayer you described by George Matheson is so powerful and definitely not an easy prayer. It is much harder to give thanks for our thorns that have inflicted us with suffering than it is to give thanks for the sun that sheds light to a new day, however they are both truly blessing indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt is through those thorns that God is than able to refine us, to mold us and shape us into what he desired our lives to become. I have had times in my own life where God has convicted me to not just probe the surface of my heart, but to go deeper, down through the tiny veins to the depth of my lifeline. It is in those small crevices that I have allowed a storage bin of pain, hoping that if I can only keep a lid sealed tightly, hidden for many years, no one will know or ever find out. Maybe the problem will just go away.
As all his followers come to find, Jesus does not just want a small portion of our hearts, he wants everything. He wants the tiny wounded areas so that he can shed light and only then begin to help us face our worst wounds, inflicted by these thorns.
Yes, I agree that everyone will experience thorns in their journey, for we live in a fallen world, one of sin and suffering. However I do not believe that we have to continue to carry the pain and hurt of those thorns forever. I believe that it is not Gods intention to leave us hurting and in pain. He does have a purpose in allowing this pain in our lives, it is used to help us with our growth. The thorn, once the inflicter, then becomes the healed wound turned into a scar. Left there to remind us of our experience, and a confirmation of Gods healing touch.
When a child first begins to walk a parent watches so closely, half way in fear that the child may fall and get hurt. The instinct of the protector begins to take hold, this is the same role our father in heaven has. Then he watches us soon learn how to run and make our own decisions. Now, we are allowed our freedom to choose right from wrong, sometimes we choose the wrong which then leads us into the path of thorns. We are allowed to live and learn through our experiences. It is then that God can come in and show us the area that we need his help in, he can come in if we allow him and start to work on mending the open flesh. It is not for us to listen to the enemy who wants us to believe that we are intended to be punished, to always carry this pain or suffering. Oh no, it is Jesus who is so ready to carry it for us. He is ready to clean and mend that wound to make it all nothing but a memory.