Recently one of my children seemed rather discouraged, so I asked what was wrong. I received the standard answer, “Nothing.” As I continued my morning routine, I felt the Lord nudging me to go to that child and ask more questions.
This time, he revealed to me that he was feeling disappointed and discouraged about himself. He had been watching the Olympics and was comparing himself to the athletes. He felt like he was worthless and a failure.
After listening to him for a while I shared two areas where I thought his struggles were coming from: comparison, and condemnation.
Comparison always gets us into trouble. I know I’ve taught our children (and myself) about this at least a dozen times in the last 8-10 years. You always compare your worst traits with the other person’s best traits, so you get discouraged. If you do compare yourself to someone who isn’t as talented as you are in that particular area, you become proud – which isn’t any better.
Secondly, condemnation comes from the enemy – not God.
The Lord whispers: 1 Kings 19:12 says, “And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”
He is gentle: Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
If you are feeling condemned, you can be sure it isn’t from the Lord. The Lord’s correction is quiet and gentle – he never pushes, but gently calls you to repentance and forgiveness.
After we talked and prayed, he decided this was a good time to tell me his MP3 player was broken too, and had been for about three months, but that’s another story.
We went on with our day.
But the Lord wasn’t done with me yet. As I worked, I started thinking about how long he had been feeling bad about the MP3 player and feeling worthless and a failure. It hurt me that he had carried this alone for so long. I wanted to go to him and ask why he didn’t tell me about the MP3 player when it happened, and why he waited so long to talk with me about his feelings as he watched the Olympics.
That’s when the Lord nudged me again – “How long have you been worrying about a decision you need to make? How about your concerns for your unsaved family members? How long will it be before you come and talk with Me about these things?
Oh Lord, I’m humbled by your patience. How about we get together right now?
Have you had a recent “wake up call from the Lord.? Tell me about it by leaving a comment.
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Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com
© 2008 Phyllis Sather
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Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com