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| Peaceful |
All the problems that we face in life can be overwhelming and daunting to the point of despair sometimes. In the past I have always evaluated my problems by going deeper and trying to see why they are issues that continually keep arising. My mistake was looking deeper rather than higher! Looking deeper is good sometimes when we are exploring emotions that have been cemented in us by past experiences but looking higher is more of a systematic approach to problems rather than an emotional one. God wants us to have a spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), and when we muck things up with emotions, that can rob us of all those good things!
There is a time to look deep within and a time to look up and away from the gooey aspects of a situation. What I just learned is a great example of this theory and how changing our view can realign our mind and allow it more peace by focusing on the main thing. What is the main thing? It's the track the train is on, the course the ship is heading on, the top priority.....it's the one thing in your life that if it goes awry then everything else falls. If a train goes off the track then the number one objective is to get it back on the track! The train can't deliver it's goods or sell it's services if it's not on the track! Being on the track is it's first priority and without it on the track it can't serve the passengers or the companies that have freight aboard, which means the railroad will have no income and that will cause several other problems on top of being derailed! Also, what happens when a storm takes a ship off it's course? The captains first priority is to get back on course as soon as possible and nothing below that priority will be of any concern unless the ship is recalculated back onto its course! Apart from it's course the ship cannot deliver its cargo or passengers which will again, cause a list of other problems to the shipping company.
I'm assuming that we all agree that God comes first because that's where our life and wisdom come from.The storms of life are real and they demand real solutions, they will always come and use all their force to derail you or get you in uncharted waters so as to create a dismantling or domino effect on your life. And so it goes with us personally as it does for the business owners of the trains or ships, if we don't look up to the main thing and keep it on course or on track, then the rest will just begin to fall a part! Not doing the main thing, whatever it may be in your own situation and life, will just cause collateral damage! That's where our major stresses come from because instead of having one issue to keep on track, you end up with a mess of problems all around you!
The train, the ship and our lives are all vehicles that take us somewhere and they all lead to something! The question is....do you have the main thing right so your life can have peace, order and a positive goal? God showed me during this time of being laid up with a cold what mine and my husband's main things were! We were focusing on all the negative results of not being on track rather than just being on track, and it all boiled down to rebellion! Our hearts and minds were angry at the circumstances going on in our lives and we rebelled with pride by not hurting others but by hurting ourselves, just like a child would do. Children will hurt themselves or make their lives completely miserable with the sole objective to hurt the parent. Well, we do the same thing with God, sometimes consciously but most of the time unconsciously.
My husband was angry at God deep down about these difficult economic times and all the responsibility he has had to carry in regards to caring for his elderly mom, handicapped brother and even me with my health issues that are as scary to him as they are to me! By not committing himself to the basic steps of salesmanship regarding his job he was only hurting himself and us, not God. God just waits in love for us to wear ourselves out and surrender to His way which is light and easy. God wants us to stop wasting all our energy on being mad or resentful deep down and just release all that so we can be doing the main thing. If my husband just gets up early, dresses in his work clothes first thing, then he is poised for a successful day! When his resentment ruled, he would fight doing the first right thing, the main thing, and everything else suffered. His rebellion only hurt himself. Now that we discussed this epiphany, he knows that if he does the right morning ritual and goes and makes his 20 cold calls for the day then business is generated and we don't have the other collateral problems because he is making a living and able to take care of all the things that fall below that main thing!
My downfall was my emotional eating which has resulted in a 50 lb. weight gain over the last few years. Because I wasn't doing the main thing for me, which is being accountable daily to God for my inner emotions, I found myself burying my problems under gluttony! I thought I was dealing with the issues in my life fairly well but what I was actually doing was avoiding my emotions and substituting reality with food! I gave up hope and I was just existing by going through the daily motions like a zombie while devouring comfort foods! I could actually feel terror and anger sometimes when I ate and it felt as though I was taking my frustrations out on the food. I found food comforting at times yet I also found it to be a way to punish all the pain! By not doing the main thing I dug a deep hole which I now have to climb out of! The collateral damage I caused by my bad choices regarding my eating are all around me (literally)! I'm physically uncomfortable, my joints hurt, my breathing is more difficult, I feel obese and unattractive, and because I held in so many bad feelings, my health has suffered tremendously. If I had just done the main thing and took my feelings to the throne of God every day and monitored my eating by making healthy moderate choices, then I wouldn't be having to deal with all the "other" issues that now need strict attention and commitment. I acted like an angry stubborn child, thinking that by hurting myself that somehow the universe or someone would rescue me and deliver me. I couldn't have been more wrong and now I see things quite differently, thank God!
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| A content moment in the sun. |
Stay connected to The Vine (Jesus), get your main thing on track, then lay your anger, bitterness, entitlements, resentments, pride, rebellion......at the foot of the throne of God and find peace.
Suggested reading: The four gospels in the New testament, Matthew, Mark Luke and John.
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