Heart to Heart

I don't know about you, but when I read too many blogs my heart sinks.   I don't measure up to the picture perfect ideals so often painted.  It is a foothold of depression which grabs hard sending me spiraling off course . . . an invasion. 

I entered the blogging world very naive, and as I evaluate the purpose for this blog, I fear I've been guilty of the very things mentioned above.  It is so easy for pride to creep into our speech as we share our lives, often giving the impression that we have arrived.  For these reasons, among others, I planned to terminate this blog.

However, every time I'm on the edge of quitting, God speaks into my life . . . continue.    Today it came from Holly Gerth's blog, my all time favorite.  She wrote that mistakes are not a good reason to quit.  When we fall flat on our faces it is there that we tell the watching world, "I'm still in training.  I haven't arrived.  I'm learning."  Sigh.  It is so hard to be on my face.  Yet it seems God keeps me there often because that's the best position to pray from, to hear God's voice, and to learn of Him.

God has been speaking to me loud and clear as of late.  Through my varied Bible studies, I've noticed something.  They are all pointing to one thing.  God will do His work in His way.

Each lesson I teach, I believe is more for me than for the people being taught.  This week it was on Naaman, the mighty warrior with a leprosy problem.  He was offered healing but wanted it to come about in his own way.

Recently I've had to give up something which I hold very dear.  God revealed my attitude of pride and lack of trust in Him through that little children's story.  If I want to live my life I must die to having things my own way, because if I hoard my life, I will lose it.  I was holding a tight grip and God was prying my fingers loose of it.  Trust Him.  Where is the trust when I have to be in so much control?  

Isn't the body of Christ amazing?  God places us together with other people so that, as many parts within one unit, we might carry out His mandate.  He doesn't tell us to go it alone.  One person does not carry all the gifts needed to extend His message to the world. 

God must increase and I need to decrease.