Brokenness is too Comfortable
My heart hurts a little bit.
Having a conversation with a friend about love and life and faith, my eyes just open a bit more to the brokenness we experience in our day to day lives. I'm not talking the big things that affect the world (poverty, homelessness, political scene, those without food, those without clean water... the list goes on). I'm talking those little things that don't have to be things, but we can't set them down.
I'm talking comparison, bitterness, unhappiness. Friends, these are choices. And I know it's hard, it's SO hard. I struggle with all of the above, but I have to remind myself every single day, every path I take, that I can choose to compare my life to someone else's, or I can praise God for the blessings He's given me. I can be bitter about those who have hurt me, those who have left, those who don't seem to care, or I can praise God for the amazing people He has brought into my life. I can hold onto every ounce of unhappiness and assume I don't have a choice - or I can praise God for sunsets, flowers, football, coffee and the fun mugs it comes in, books, a sweet note from a friend, my dog doing goofy things, my husband -- things big and small that make me happy, bring joy to my life. Cue The Sound of Music - These are a few of my favorite things! Couldn't help but sing it!
We hear about it so much, don't we? And yet sometimes I cling to these things because they're comfortable and familiar, even if they hurt. When we cling to something that hurts us, we know our expectations can be set low. We can lose hope and think it's okay. It's not okay, sweet friend. It's not okay to lose hope, to give up, to choose a broken mindset. Jesus does not want us to live each day unhappy. Jesus did not die on that cross so that we can spend our time grumbling. This isn't a guilt trip - Jesus can handle any of your mood choices - this is me, simply begging you - choose to be free!
I read what I write and laugh to myself. I wish, right? I wish I could do all of these things so well, and stand on a mountaintop and scream all the ways we can set down our selfishness and pick up our holiness. I then live in an overwhelmed state and want to just throw in the towel.
The Bible is a great place to start (as always), but I particularly love this: Psalms 27:6 "Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music."
The verse prior to this mentions God will place us out of reach on a high rock.... "then I will hold my head high above my enemies" - aren't we our own worst enemies, friends? Our thoughts, our mental tracks, our critical thoughts - these are enemies to our soul. "At the Lord's sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord" --- we may not offer animal sacrifices on a fire, but we sacrifice our comfort by laying down those things that hurt us yet we cling to. We sacrifice when we make the hard choice - the choice to love ourselves, to love others, to set down our bad mood/attitude/thoughts. We can give these sacrifices with choices of joy and praise. Have you ever maintained a bad attitude toward someone after you sing their praises to God? Can you say you will stay in a state of comparison after thanking God for the blessings you've received? Praise is a weapon, friends - let's use it!
So let's choose every day to live in joy, praise, and worship. Let's choose every day to celebrate the pause - pausing before a meltdown, pausing before that unkind thought ruins your day, pausing before you choose to wallow in jealousy. Grasp onto these things and instead praise Him for all the beauty that surrounds you. Make it a habit to wake up and thank God for at least one thing - every single morning! See how the attitude of gratitude changes your thought life. Take this challenge with me - let's see what happens!
Having a conversation with a friend about love and life and faith, my eyes just open a bit more to the brokenness we experience in our day to day lives. I'm not talking the big things that affect the world (poverty, homelessness, political scene, those without food, those without clean water... the list goes on). I'm talking those little things that don't have to be things, but we can't set them down.
I'm talking comparison, bitterness, unhappiness. Friends, these are choices. And I know it's hard, it's SO hard. I struggle with all of the above, but I have to remind myself every single day, every path I take, that I can choose to compare my life to someone else's, or I can praise God for the blessings He's given me. I can be bitter about those who have hurt me, those who have left, those who don't seem to care, or I can praise God for the amazing people He has brought into my life. I can hold onto every ounce of unhappiness and assume I don't have a choice - or I can praise God for sunsets, flowers, football, coffee and the fun mugs it comes in, books, a sweet note from a friend, my dog doing goofy things, my husband -- things big and small that make me happy, bring joy to my life. Cue The Sound of Music - These are a few of my favorite things! Couldn't help but sing it!We hear about it so much, don't we? And yet sometimes I cling to these things because they're comfortable and familiar, even if they hurt. When we cling to something that hurts us, we know our expectations can be set low. We can lose hope and think it's okay. It's not okay, sweet friend. It's not okay to lose hope, to give up, to choose a broken mindset. Jesus does not want us to live each day unhappy. Jesus did not die on that cross so that we can spend our time grumbling. This isn't a guilt trip - Jesus can handle any of your mood choices - this is me, simply begging you - choose to be free!
I read what I write and laugh to myself. I wish, right? I wish I could do all of these things so well, and stand on a mountaintop and scream all the ways we can set down our selfishness and pick up our holiness. I then live in an overwhelmed state and want to just throw in the towel.
The Bible is a great place to start (as always), but I particularly love this: Psalms 27:6 "Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music."
The verse prior to this mentions God will place us out of reach on a high rock.... "then I will hold my head high above my enemies" - aren't we our own worst enemies, friends? Our thoughts, our mental tracks, our critical thoughts - these are enemies to our soul. "At the Lord's sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord" --- we may not offer animal sacrifices on a fire, but we sacrifice our comfort by laying down those things that hurt us yet we cling to. We sacrifice when we make the hard choice - the choice to love ourselves, to love others, to set down our bad mood/attitude/thoughts. We can give these sacrifices with choices of joy and praise. Have you ever maintained a bad attitude toward someone after you sing their praises to God? Can you say you will stay in a state of comparison after thanking God for the blessings you've received? Praise is a weapon, friends - let's use it!So let's choose every day to live in joy, praise, and worship. Let's choose every day to celebrate the pause - pausing before a meltdown, pausing before that unkind thought ruins your day, pausing before you choose to wallow in jealousy. Grasp onto these things and instead praise Him for all the beauty that surrounds you. Make it a habit to wake up and thank God for at least one thing - every single morning! See how the attitude of gratitude changes your thought life. Take this challenge with me - let's see what happens!
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