“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:6-8
Over the past few years, I have chosen to seek God first thing in the morning. I had every excuse in the book to not do it: not a morning person, illness, like to read at night, got more out of reading at night, didn’t comprehend in the morning, didn’t want to get out of bed, not enough time, not enough time, not enough time. That was my greatest excuse, not enough time. Guess what God said to me…you have the same amount of time as all your brothers and sisters. And the truth is, I do. More than many of them. That was a few years ago when I was recovering from the illness that threatened my life for many years. I worked full-time, had three teenagers, a husband, a home, friends, and lifegroups. I was, as the world puts it, busy. I was still regaining muscle, nutrition, and health then too, after many years of loss. Those were excuses. Today, I recognize my excuses and others’ more than ever. Today, I want what Jesus has to offer, He gave me this life, I reign in life through His life, and if I don’t know what He has to say about it…I’m sunk.
The verses at the beginning of this post are precious to me. Just this morning, one of my mentor’s, my God mother so to speak, reminded me of those precious words of truth. Recently, the past few weeks following surgery and as bacteria grew out of control in my gut, I haven’t been thinking on these things nearly enough. There are times throughout the day that I only think on them, others that, it’s more challenging. However, because I choose God and reading what He says about life first thing each day, recollection is becoming easier. It’s becoming natural to go to what God says about things in this world, first. There is another scripture that says that we are to “capture our thoughts”. In 2 Timothy, Paul tells us that God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline, that self-discipline includes the ability to capture our thoughts and think on the right things. When I look at the things that I fear, that is a sin. When I avoid finding out the truth, that is sin. The past few years I’ve asked God search me and know me, and reveal to me where he working in my life. He is always working on clearing out the fleshly sin, the thoughts that are not rooted in truth.
Hubby and I are going through some rocky days, a difficult season. Sometimes my focus is on the things that I don’t like about him. As he puts it, “that is not helpful” and he is correct. It isn’t ever helpful to focus on the things we can’t change or even on the faults of another. I rejoice in this season, that is what Jesus tells me to do. When I don’t, I assume I get what I have been getting. Yes, we are having a lot of sex and that part of our marriage is really good, it is where our true intimacy with one another takes place. In the rest of our lives, there are many years of hurts that we are letting God heal us through, separately and together. It’s not always fun but I believe the other side there is reward in the healing. “Life to the full” (John 10:10b)! I am seeking that at all cost and no matter what the enemy puts in the way, I believe that is what Jesus if offering and I will take hold.
For today, I will choose to focus on what is right, what is true, what is lovely and I will let the things of the past stay there. I will ask Jesus to come into each memory and change the story for me, and I will see Him there in it working for my good. What the enemy means for evil, God means for good and we serve a God who adores us. He calls me His sweetheart and guess what, I believe Him.
Just the Three of Us 