Skip to main content

Repentance

Well, Christmas time has caused me to be very busy. Alas, I have been away from my computer...but not from my challenge! I've been doing well in guarding my mouth, overall. However, there have been a couple of occasions over this holiday where I have paused to think about what I'm saying. Yep...I have found myself in repentance. Once, I was explaining to someone how a certain person was not the most fun to hang around. I wasn't being mean...I was dipping it in sugar and explaining how I loved them and how they were a great person...but just boring. When I was through giving my opinion, the person I was talking to said, 'Well...I hope you don't talk about me that way when I'm not around." OUCH!!! And touche! Good point, there, friend.

I also found myself sharing something with someone that wasn't necessary to share. As soon as I opened my mouth I knew I had trapped myself in sin. Not gonna sugar coat it. I shouldn't have done it and it sure wasn't done in faith and blessing. Was it true? Yes. Was it just my opinion? No. It was an honest to goodness story about a touchy, painful situation. But, once again...it didn't bring blessing. So, this holiday was spent with a good deal of repenting.

Here is my issue. When talking with this person, I often find myself wondering what to do. They need to talk about some of the things they are going through and I am an ear to listen. The situations are real. They are hard. But, it's not edifying to anyone. We all go through garbage. I understand that people feel like they need to talk about it...to hash it out and process it. But, in all honesty, it becomes a trap. Once you open up the box of talking about your problems, it's sure hard to stop. This is what happened recently...and I jumped in with my two cents. How do you balance this? How do we honestly share our feelings but also keep from complaining? Do we not share our feelings? Do we act like Pollyanna? There is a balance here, I know. Feelings need to be shared. But, I do believe that maturity beckons us to restrain them. This is the Spirit led life: to know when to speak and to know when to remain silent. How can I listen to a friend and not feed their complaining BUT not be so quick to say 'priase the Lord' that I seem to be burying my head in the sand? Wisdom. Point blank. I need more wisdom. This comes from being Spirit led.

So, this is my prayer. Father, Your Spirit is in me, 100%. I yield to You this morning. Give me grace to be led by you in word and dead. Help me silence my own thoughts and give place to your own so that divine wisdom guides my life. Oh, to know and understand You, God! I desire to be yielded to you so completely that your very nature becomes my own. Let kindness grace my lips today and always, Spirit. I love and praise you. You are my source, my life, my song.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Keys

My hands delicately touched the ivory keys. In reverent solace, I took a deep breath as I sat in the darkness of this unfamiliar house. Slowly, I began to let my fingers flow with the emotions I was feeling. It had been months since I had sat at a piano. But this piano was nothing like the one I had known before: this piano was a perfectly tuned Baby Grand, worth thousands of dollars. The piano I had know - my piano - was an old out of tune spinet that I had purchased at a yard sale for $50. And in that moment, as my fingers danced across the meticulously cared for ivory, I realized how deeply I missed my old out-of-tune friend. It was a feeling that came unexpectedly, this grief. It startled me. So, I quickly stuffed it down inside of myself and shook it off as nonsensical. But as warm tears began streaming down my cheeks while I played this Grand, I soon realized that this was an emotion I could no longer deny: I was grieving the loss of my piano. The loss of my piano had come a...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Still Need Some Work

After a month on my challenge....my mouth still needs some work. By power of God's Spirit alone, I am able to speak blessing when challenged with a trying situation. At times I yield to His will; other times, I find my flesh is uncrucified. Monday night in prayer, the Spirit drew me into repentance for attitudes of the heart towards a certain community of people. For far too long, the church has felt justified in speaking judgment upon those who are unbelievers. We, like James in John in Luke 9:51-56, often have a harsh spirit towards those who are labeled as 'severe sinners.' How often, for instance, do conservative Christians speak ill of their president? Christ's Spirit compels us not to grumble and complain about our nation, but to rise up in prayer. James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven and consume the unbelievers (vs 54) but Jesus rebuked them and told them, in essence, that they were not of His Spirit as long as they carried that kind of attitude. J...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Song in the Storm

Every weekday morning, I awake before dawn. I quietly and sleepily make my way down the stairs where I enjoy my first cup of coffee in my overstuffed chair. I always love listening to the early morning sounds of birds lifting their chorus. I close my eyes and sip my coffee to the sweet sound of nature praising God in the dawning light. This morning, however, was a bit different. I still quietly and sleepily made my way down the stairs to enjoy my coffee. However, this morning as I settled into my overstuffed chair, I heard thunder in the distance. Gazing out my window, I noticed a coming storm. Lightning and thunder was peeling in the dark sky, steadily creeping towards my house. It was in this instance that I noticed my familiar morning greeting: the birds were still singing in their trees. I sat in awe, listening to the birds noisily lift their voices as the steady rhythm of thunder and the flashing dance of the lightning drew closer and closer to their habitation. It was such a st...
3 comments
Read more