Our family is walking through some very intense days...
Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Peter 5:6-9, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
You too?
Life is hard.....
Sin
abounds....
People break under pressure...
Hurting people, hurt people....
People sin, say
words that hurt, act hateful, betray, become selfish, reject, demand, and try
to be in control. That is the human condition. It is so easy for us to
look at others as our enemies when these things are present. Yet, we are
told that, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood". People may be
the occasion but they are not the reason. For those of us that are
followers of Jesus, we will spend all of our lives participating with Him in
the removal of the human condition from us, so that He can conform us to His
image. As we participate it is vital to acknowledge our enemy but keep
our eyes on Jesus. Our enemy is not those people who hurt us and or those that send
wreckage into our lives. They are the material that our enemy would like
for us to look at, but ultimately they are the material that Sovereign God uses
to mature us and make us more like Him. Sometimes it is really messy
and sometimes it is very painful!
A little bird
didn't fly south for the winter as all the other birds did. As the
weather got colder, the north winds began to blow, and snow and ice began to
fall from the winter sky. The little bird began to get very cold, so cold
in fact that her little wings froze. As she was sitting in her frozen
state, worrying about what she was going to do, a cow came by and pooped on
her. She thought, "oh great, just when I thought things couldn't get
any worse, this stupid cow poops on me!” But, much to her surprise she
found that the manure was warm, and it began to unfreeze her wings. She
began to flap her wings with excitement, hopping, flapping, and tweeting over
her freedom. Just then a cat came around the tree and ate her.
Moral of the
story?
Not everyone who
poops on you is your enemy.
Your real enemy is
lurking around seeking whom he can devour. He just uses "cows" to
distract you from seeing him and his plan.
If you are a bird,
and you are supposed to fly south for the winter, you probably should fly south
for the winter, and not go out on your own, rebellious, way.
Just some thoughts
on this rainy Friday morning as I contemplate, acknowledging my enemy but
keeping my eyes on Jesus!
Still learning to
abide,
Kim
Sister, I have seen this so evident in my life as we have walked through hurtful things. You gave me some good advice regarding praying for those who seemed to be the enemy and that completely changed my heart toward them. Thank you for reminders that the enemy is not those around us, but Satan himself seeking whom he may devour. It's like the back of a tapestry ( i think that's the right word) looks messy and completely disorderly but turning it to look at the right side brings a beautiful picture that He is creating. "Father, give me a heavenly perspective on all the earthly difficulties that loom so heavy at times." Love you friend and thinking of you and your family today! Thanks for the encouragement and Godly perspective.
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