Brothers and sisters, I did a foolish thing. The details surrounding it are irrelevant, but I got myself all worked up over something for nothing. I jumped to conclusions (false ones, of course) and in my head I had already determined the course of action I was going to take as a result. I lashed out (in my heart), quickly going from fear to utter, ugly defiance.
Now, obviously the Lord has done a work because I’m writing this. I thank Him for His grace and patience. I am foolish dust but so often think of myself as so much more. He knows better. In this rear-view mirror perspective, let me share some insights that perhaps will help you the next time you are tempted to worry:
I was tired. My schedule was off and I was mentally exhausted when I hit the panic button. (Editor’s Note: Technically, I mashed it to smithereens.) I didn’t wait to consider the matter until I was fully rested.
I did not pray about what I perceived; I just reacted to it.
I didn’t want to hear my wife’s objective (and correct) voice of reason over the matter. (Ed. Note: Yes, I apologized to her too.)
Even if the situation was the way I thought it was, I did not care that that meant the Lord had allowed it, and would’ve done so to ultimately bring glory to Himself.
The most significant wrong thing I did was I forgot who the Lord was. I doubted His nature. I did not stop to remember all that He is to His adopted children: All of His grace, love, justice, power, authority/sovereignty, guiding mercy, pardon, peace, tenderness, care, and on and infinitely on…
So next time a situation propels you to some negative emotion (fear, anger, frustration, confusion, etc.) ask yourself:
- Am I well rested? Is my body ‘off’; weakened by lack of sleep or food?
- Have I prayed about this long enough that I can say I’ve heard the Lord’s take on the situation?
- (If you are married or engaged) What is my (potential) mate trying to tell me?
- Have I acknowledged to the Lord that He may very well be allowing this thing, and if so, so be it?
- Have I preached to myself all the various attributes of God I can think of so I don’t lose sight of Him?
In my situation, the Lord was kind enough to make sure I didn’t act any more rashly than I already had, and nobody was the wiser of the situation before I got clarification about it. Still though, hopefully you can learn from my stupidity and save yourself a hassle down the road. In short, Don’t Hit That Button!
Posted: July 2nd, 2009 under Devotions, Hope, Learning & Growing, Testimony.