God always speaks to me in the shower. Maybe it has something to do with the solitude
or perhaps, the fact that I shower right after my quiet time…a combination of
the two maybe. Whatever it is, shower time
is “speak to Alissa” time.
Today’s message: get over yourself.
*ahem* yeah…that was pleasant.
When I wrote the SCREAMING post yesterday, I felt it,
completely and totally. I literally felt
caged, and like I told my dad on the drive home, I had an actual physical
reaction to it. I could almost feel my
skin crawl. “Fight or flight” was
coursing through my veins.
This week, in TheResolution for Women, we’re taking a look at our hearts and how we can use
our hearts for God to help those suffering around us.
Last night in our family devotion (which Josiah found here) we read Romans 12:1-3, and
we learned about a teen named Cody who was touched while on a trip to Ethiopia
and then gathered 18,000 t-shirts to send back to Africa, all because one child
while he was there wanted his t-shirt. A
shirt…this kid wants a shirt.
Perhaps you’re sensing a theme by now, but I’m a little
dense, so it took me longer.
The heading of the chapter from this morning’s quiet time
read “How Do You Mend an Unbroken Heart?”
In it, Priscilla Shirer talks about an experience she had at an
International Women’s conference. The
video they had played showed some rather gritty images of suffering in the
world. She knew she was changed by the
things she had seen, but she was in shock, trying to process the images she had
witnessed and asking God what it meant.
She said at that moment the praise team took the stage and her question
was answered. She heard:
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause
As I walk from Earth into eternity
I’ve heard that song a million times. Heck, I’ve sung that song in my car a million
times. Never have I actually prayed that
God would break my heart…until this morning.
And during my shower, do you know what God showed me?
He showed me that my frustration over my job is such a
minute issue…so shallow, really.
I feel trapped by my well-paying, air conditioned job that
helps pay our bills and keeps a nice roof over our heads and good food in our
mouths.
Break my heart for
what breaks yours
Yikes.
I prayed yesterday that God would help me, and He is
faithful. I still feel like He’s
grooming me for something else, but until then, it seems as though it might be
a good idea to just cool my jets and try being grateful for what I have.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with
you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the
kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too
much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God
transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will
know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and
perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:1-3)
Today's post is part of a Tuesday link-up with Time Warp Wife!!
Today's post is part of a Tuesday link-up with Time Warp Wife!!
It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives and not see the real hurt and need in the world. When we do see it, it's hard not to feel guilty. But, I do think our problems are important to God, even if they aren't that important in the grand scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteCast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1Peter 5:7)
Whether one reads the Bible or not or feels that God directs us, your message is a good one. Be grateful for what we have, particularly those of us in the U.S. By virtue of birth alone we have access to so much more. Nice thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that! It's so sad to hear people complaining about not having things when there are so many going without basic clothes, food or other things.
ReplyDelete