The Wick
A friend of mine recently shared something the Lord showed her as she was dealing with some pretty difficult issues in her life. She would tell you herself that she, (like many of us) brought most of her issues on her own self. But this only shows you the sweetness and mercy of the Lord as He deals with us, His rebellious and disobedient children.
My friend has a candle that she hasn't used in quite a while. She went to light it and the wick was covered underneath the wax. As candles sometimes do, the burning hot wax had covered over the wick, dried, and was not visible to be lit.
As she stood looking at this situation, she heard the Lord say to her "This is you." You have allowed this sin in your life to cover over your light and it's gonna take some burning to get back up to where your light, your wick can be lit and can shine again. Oh the tears that followed as my friend knew this was the truth. The besetting sin that had engulfed her for nearly eight years had robbed her of sooo much.
There is fun in sin for a season, and some of the time we do choose sin. This scripture tells us there is pleasure in sin but it is passing, it only last a season.
"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." (Hebrews 11:25 NKJV)
So now my friend is doing a great job of burning off that "wax" and getting it down so her "light" can burn bright again! Let's just learn to not allow our wick to be covered over by what the world allures us to, calls us to, and draws us to.
My friend has a candle that she hasn't used in quite a while. She went to light it and the wick was covered underneath the wax. As candles sometimes do, the burning hot wax had covered over the wick, dried, and was not visible to be lit.
As she stood looking at this situation, she heard the Lord say to her "This is you." You have allowed this sin in your life to cover over your light and it's gonna take some burning to get back up to where your light, your wick can be lit and can shine again. Oh the tears that followed as my friend knew this was the truth. The besetting sin that had engulfed her for nearly eight years had robbed her of sooo much.
There is fun in sin for a season, and some of the time we do choose sin. This scripture tells us there is pleasure in sin but it is passing, it only last a season.
"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." (Hebrews 11:25 NKJV)
So now my friend is doing a great job of burning off that "wax" and getting it down so her "light" can burn bright again! Let's just learn to not allow our wick to be covered over by what the world allures us to, calls us to, and draws us to.
Expectations
I want to share with yall the thing, the experience, the word that gets me into the most trouble. It throws me into a whirlwind of sadness, despair, can change the entire atmosphere. I really am being a little silly, but I do believe it is a place in my life and probably many of yours where we as women are most vulnerable. The men (and some of the girls) in our life just don't get it. But hey, we don't get some of their issues, do we?
It's EXPECTATION.
It's what we have in our minds that something is going to be like and if it deviates from that (and it will, believe me) we are sunk. We plan something, fix it up, and have it in our minds already what it's going to be like, how exciting it's going to be, how happy everyone will be to experience what you have planned, enjoy the food you have slaved over, ooooh and aaaah over the decorations you have used, we think about it for days, go over and think about everyone's reactions.... and then reality sets in.
The people or person you are planning this for do something totally different than what you had thought, they react a different way, prefer to do something else (ballgame on TV, look at their phones, watch youtube videos) say something, don't say anything, no reaction, too much reaction. Then we are in the depths of despair.
Ladies we must really manage our EXPECTATIONS. We must serve, love, and let our loved ones react as they will. We can only manage ourselves and our reaction. Don't be thrown for a loop because of someone else! Guard your heart, guard your emotions, be yourself and just love on. Give your loved ones the room to be "them."
EXPECTATIONS can get you and get you good if you don't watch out. So ladies, be aware.
It's EXPECTATION.
It's what we have in our minds that something is going to be like and if it deviates from that (and it will, believe me) we are sunk. We plan something, fix it up, and have it in our minds already what it's going to be like, how exciting it's going to be, how happy everyone will be to experience what you have planned, enjoy the food you have slaved over, ooooh and aaaah over the decorations you have used, we think about it for days, go over and think about everyone's reactions.... and then reality sets in.
The people or person you are planning this for do something totally different than what you had thought, they react a different way, prefer to do something else (ballgame on TV, look at their phones, watch youtube videos) say something, don't say anything, no reaction, too much reaction. Then we are in the depths of despair.
Ladies we must really manage our EXPECTATIONS. We must serve, love, and let our loved ones react as they will. We can only manage ourselves and our reaction. Don't be thrown for a loop because of someone else! Guard your heart, guard your emotions, be yourself and just love on. Give your loved ones the room to be "them."
EXPECTATIONS can get you and get you good if you don't watch out. So ladies, be aware.
No Fretting
"The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the LORD." (Proverbs 19:3 NKJV)
This scripture jumped out at me this morning. I am thinking to myself, well, I don't really think I have fretted against the Lord. Whew, made it by that one. However, I was gently shown, oh, but you have. In that you question Me. Question my ways, how I handle situations, and question me in your Silent Nights. Ahhhhhh just about the time.
I think it's the same thing as "leaning on my own understanding." This way of "foolish" thinking "twists" our thinking and leads to a "twisted" way.
If you think about a cord, or better yet your Christmas lights, getting all tangled and twisted, you've got the picture of twisted ways. All woven back and forth all "entangled" and messed up with itself. When we get all "messsed" up and "tangled" whatever it maybe, then we begin to blame, fret, lash out, jerk, pull, yell, fret some more. And who better to blame than the Lord, the maker of all. How could He let us be in this situation, fret, fret. How could He, why would He. It's our own "foolishness" in thinking or behavior that has gotten us here. That way of thinking "twists" our ways and leads us down a path of foolishness.
"The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the LORD." (Proverbs 19:3 NKJV)
No fretting against the Lord, and no foolishness, and no frettin!
This scripture jumped out at me this morning. I am thinking to myself, well, I don't really think I have fretted against the Lord. Whew, made it by that one. However, I was gently shown, oh, but you have. In that you question Me. Question my ways, how I handle situations, and question me in your Silent Nights. Ahhhhhh just about the time.
I think it's the same thing as "leaning on my own understanding." This way of "foolish" thinking "twists" our thinking and leads to a "twisted" way.
If you think about a cord, or better yet your Christmas lights, getting all tangled and twisted, you've got the picture of twisted ways. All woven back and forth all "entangled" and messed up with itself. When we get all "messsed" up and "tangled" whatever it maybe, then we begin to blame, fret, lash out, jerk, pull, yell, fret some more. And who better to blame than the Lord, the maker of all. How could He let us be in this situation, fret, fret. How could He, why would He. It's our own "foolishness" in thinking or behavior that has gotten us here. That way of thinking "twists" our ways and leads us down a path of foolishness.
"The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the LORD." (Proverbs 19:3 NKJV)
No fretting against the Lord, and no foolishness, and no frettin!