Distress Turning To Despair

I've had an interesting week. The start of the week was very exciting. But as the week went on, a variety of circumstances and fears caused me to doubt. I have my hopes set on something and I keep fearing it's not going to work out. The details don't matter, but the principle does. I see this pattern in my life occasionally. My hopes get revved up and I passionately pursue something until WHAM...the brakes are slammed! It is interesting how easy it is to trust God when things are going well. I can say all of the right things and pray with complete confidence when life is smooth. But wow, a trial comes, and I am challenged once again to really pray through it.

In times like this I don't sleep well because my mind reels at night. I find that I'm short with my family because I'm "stressed". Bad excuse, but I do use it occasionally. When I am in distress, joys seems unattainable. What God revealed to me today is that I have to stop the downward spiral. It is like my distress begins to turn to despair. Suddenly I am feeling unable to believe in God's promises. Suddenly I am feeling like I better just prepare myself for the worst. It is amazing how quickly it happens. The devil is sneaky that way! And then our awesome and mighty God speaks to me in a still small voice, reminding me to persevere. And then I was reminded of the scripture:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

And so I began to pray boldly. Sometimes a silent prayer offered up in a moment of despair doesn't do it for me. I have to cut through my thoughts. I have to come against the lies and the fear running through my mind. So I pray out loud and begin declaring that my God is good and faithful. And I do as scripture says...I present my requests to God. It just amazes how true God is to his word. As I do what his word says, he does his part by giving me peace.

The beauty of this is once I acknowledge that I'm in a state of despair and come against it through prayer, I can see so clearly! It's like the veil is lifted and I see my thoughts for what they are. Now when the lies try to creep back in, I cast them away in the name of Jesus and declare that I'm not receiving those thoughts. I feel like that is what God means when he says that his peace will guard our minds. It's not that the lies never come. It's that we can see them for what they are. He has given us a greater understanding. When we see our thoughts for what they are, we can choose to believe the truth and not the lies!

The way to keep simple, every-day distress from turning into despair is to call upon God. Cut through the noise! Don't submit to it because the Jesus in us is so much greater than all of the attempts of the enemy to distract, distort, discourage or disrupt! I will not despair! Instead, I will allow the peace of God to guard my heart and mind!

Goodbye perfection. Hello purpose!

This past year has marked a big change in my life. A new way of thinking. A new understanding. If you are a perfectionist or often think you’d like to be, stay tuned! As I seek God, I am constantly reminded of the vast difference between God’s character and my own. I’ve known about this great difference for a long time, but I see it through new lenses now. Instead of feeling burdened by pressure to perform or attain some level of perfection, I am embracing my journey with joy and freedom because I FINALLY realize that perfection is not the goal -- purpose is! I think deep down we all know that, but it is hard to allow that to translate into our daily lives. It is much easier to try and use the seven easy steps to this or that, or to set endless goals in hopes of being more Christ-like. For me, it has been harder to totally surrender my life to Christ. I mean REALLY surrender to the point where I am taking a step back and asking in every situation “What would Jesus do?”. Sorry to use a cliché but when we really break down our lives, isn’t that what it’s about?

You see, instead of striving for perfection, I want to live a life of purpose. For me, that means living a life that’s imitateable. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who said with confidence “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) I threw out a question on facebook awhile back asking….what characteristic makes a life imitateable? I received lots of great feedback including:

Patience, Goodness, Faithfulness, Self-control, Honesty, Integrity, Not Easily Offended, Positive Attitude, Merciful and Forgiving, Having Strong Convictions, Commitment, Dedication, Being a Servant, Humility and Kindness

These are all great answers, but what is the common denominator of each? They all start with love! Ultimately, we only need ONE thing in order to live out all of those qualities. LOVE. When we love people, we want to be patient with them. When we love people, we want to do good. When we love people, we care enough about them to be honest. When we love people, we are self-controlled when we really want to give them a piece of our mind. When we love people, we will serve them even if that means putting our own desires aside.

My purpose is to love. My whole life has been boiled down to that simple statement. This scripture says it best: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) So instead of asking God to help me be more patient, to be kind, to be giving, I am asking God…please help me to love people like you. Jesus, help me to see people as you do. The good news is, it’s working!!!

I’m done with perfection and totally down with love!