I started reading Max Lucado’s new book, “You’ll Get Through This”. In the beginning he is reminding us about the story of Joseph and how he got thrown into the pit. I know that pit. I have been there. The pit of depression, the pit of despair, the pit of betrayal, the pit of abandonment, the pit of poverty, etc. I’ll bet you have been there too. Stuck in a pit and can’t climb out by yourself. Feeling like you are helpless and hopeless.
One of the things Max said about Joseph was:
“What do you have that you cannot lose?” He still had God’s call on his heart.
We forget this on the road to Egypt. Forgotten destinies litter the landscape like carcasses.
We redefine ourselves according to our catastrophes.
“I am the divorcee, the addict, the bankrupt business person, the kid with the disability, or the man with the scar.” We settle for a small destiny: to make money, make friends, make a name, make muscle, or make love with anyone and everyone.
Determine not to make this mistake. Think you have lost it all: You Haven’t.
“God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty – never canceled, never rescinded (Rom 11:29 MSG). Hear and Heed Yours.
Source: You’ll Get Through This, by Max Lucado, p. 18
And then, more manna for my day. Yesterday I read something on FB that made me stop and think.
“People who are hard on themselves cannot forgive themselves for the mistakes they’ve made in the past. Sadly, they end up punishing themselves, whether they know it or not.
Beloved, release your failings to Jesus today. Receive His gift of no condemnation and stop blaming yourself for the things that have happened in the past. If God has forgiven you, you ought to forgive yourself too!
Receive God’s complete forgiveness! This is the 3rd key of The Power of Right Believing.
#believing4″
Positive or negative expectations about circumstances, events, or people that may affect a persons behavior toward them in a manner that he or she (unknowingly) creates situations in which those expectations are fulfilled. In other words, causing something to happen by believing it will come true. (Source: UrbanDictionary.com)
So, in theory, my punishing myself and beating myself up for all my past mistakes was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was not, nor am I perfect, even though I tried. (ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God). And my bad attitude would keep growing until I forgave myself. I was holding onto this false sense of reality – a false sense of who I thought I was – And I defined myself by my catastrophes.
Hi my name is Diana and I AM a _________. Fill in the blank. Who should I be today? We do tend to be chameleons too in order to hide and please everyone else. Well, I did.
For example, I thought I deserved to be punished, as that is what the ‘Abusers’ said. So even after I left and they weren’t around, I would punish myself. You know, those ‘voices’ in your head – that play even after the person is gone. Look in the mirror and call yourself ugly, fat, dumb, stupid…Old thought patterns and old beliefs – that had clouded my vision and needed to be kicked out. They are not true!
Now I see why God says to renew my mind daily and take every thought captive. I don’t have to act on every thought. I don’t even have to believe every thought.
Now I am not saying I have it all figured out. By no means, but I am pressing forward, forgetting the past and those things – to keep my eyes on the Prize – and go on.
“The main trouble with despair is that it is self-fulfilling. People who fear the worst tend to invite it. Heads that are down can’t scan the horizon for new openings. Bursts of energy do not spring from a spirit of defeat. Ultimately, helplessness leads to hopelessness.” —Norman Cousins
I don’t know if this makes any sense to you, but to me it helped me want to renew my mind with more of God’s Word. God says we are forgiven – I think I’ll accept that today. God already has, all my sins and shortcomings are as far as the East is from the West, so why did I keep holding onto them and reminding Him? And if Despair and Hopelessness are self-fulfilling, I think I will divorce those feelings too!
“I Choose Love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I Choose Joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.I Choose Peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so I may live.I Choose Patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so, Rather complain that the wait is to long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I Choose Kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for that is how God has treated me.
I Choose Goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.
I Choose Faithfulness…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My friends will not question my word. And my family will not question my love.
I Choose Gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I Choose Self-Control…
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done I will place my head on my pillow and rest.”
― Max Lucado
Four elements that can lock up a heart, keeping delight out and darkness in. Resentment, the cocaine of the emotions. Anger, the destroyer of joy. Your heritage- the straitjacket of expectation. Declining faith- the marauder of hope.” ~ Max Lucado
You can read more of Max’s thoughts on how to open a locked heart here:
(Just a sidenote for those of you who have been in abusive relationships. Forgiveness does NOT mean I will let him hit me again. I had a very twisted view of what Forgiveness meant. I thought that I was supposed to just ‘forgive and forget’ and let him do it again and again – 70 x 7 right? Wrong. My forgiveness towards my abusers meant I would not take revenge, nor put myself or my children in harm’s way, but that I would trust GOD to deal with him. I had to let go of the ending – and walk away. I was not his Savior, I was not going to change him, it was not my job. My warped thinking kept me hostage for a long time. More to come on this area!)
Sometimes there are authors that just melt my heart. Max Lucado is one of my fav’s. I haven’t read everything He has written, but a few and I love how he brings light to the Word and helps me see things differently. Here are a few of his words that blessed me today. Happy Monday!
“The past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.”
― Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name
“Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.” And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin.”
― Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus
“Let God have you, and let God love you – and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.”
― Max Lucado
“The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane. In the first, Adam took a fall. In the second, Jesus took a stand. In the first, God sought Adam. In the second, Jesus sought God. In Eden, Adam hid from God. In Gethsemane, Jesus emerged from the tomb. In Eden, Satan led Adam to a tree that led to his death. From Gethsemane, Jesus went to a tree that led to our life.”
― Max Lucado
“He saw you cast into a river of life you didn’t request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a body that gets sick and a heart that grows weak. He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends. He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of your own grave. He saw you in your own garden of Gethsemane and he didn’t want you to be alone … He would rather go to hell for you than to heaven without you.”
― Max Lucado
“When God looks at you, he doesn’t see you; he sees the One who surrounds you. That means that failure is not a concern for you. Your victory is secure.”
― Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment
“God sees us with the eyes of a Father. He sees our defects, errors and blemishes. But He also sees our value.”
― Max Lucado
The following is an expert from unionchurch.com. I don’t know this church, but I do have someone I am angry with right now, so I am searching out unforgiveness and what to do with it. How about you?
Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A teacher slighted you. And you are angry.Or perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. Your circle of friends escaped on a weekend getaway, and you …And you are hurt.
Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, and there is a fire burning in your heart. It’s the fire of anger. It’s blazing. It’s consuming. Its flames leap up under a steaming pot of revenge.
And you are left with a decision. “Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?” . . .
Resentment is the deliberate decision to nurse the offense until it becomes a black, furry, growling grudge.
Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left. [Max Lucado LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN p. 71]
“In the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.” [Yancey p.83]
