Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
My roommate and I were walking into a meeting and glanced around for two empty seats. My roommate spotted two open seats by Reagan, so we sat down there. Reagan didn't say anything when I sat down (neither did I), but partway through the meeting, she got up from her chair and moved to sit in another seat. With other girls. And a really cute guy. To say that was offended would be an understatement. To say that I was furious would be more accurate.
I felt weary and distant from God, and I felt apathetic about my circumstances. I know that feeling a certain way isn’t necessarily a choice...but following our feelings is a choice. And it has consequences.
I couldn't understand why Reagan ignored my offer to join us. I was curious if there was a specific reason she rejected my invitation, but I was upset that she didn't join our table.
These are a few of the many ways I regularly become frustrated. Frustration is one of my common feelings because I love to accomplish things. Perhaps you can relate. And maybe inefficiency drives you crazy, too. But it doesn't need to.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to criticize men and women in the Bible, especially when their sins are evident? I mean, how could Jonah run away from God? How could Rebekah play favoritism with her sons and deceive her husband? How could David commit adultery and murder Uriah? But we forget that we, too, can quickly fall into sin.
Let’s just say that the dog days of summer have begun…and it’s only June 11th. I’m definitely happy to be done with school. I’m excited for the sunshine, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying some free time. I’m excited to visit the beach, watch Hallmark movies, and cook homemade meals. But even with all the activities ahead, I know I’ll still experience feelings of boredom.
During the sermon at church, I think about where we’re going to eat lunch after the service. As I read my Bible, I worry about my new job that’s starting soon. When I sing praise songs, I stare at the girl leading worship and wonder if she’s prettier than me. During prayer, I think about my blog stats and how to get more “likes” on my posts. Why can’t I simply think about the sermon that I’m hearing, the verses that I’m reading, the songs that I’m singing, or the words that I’m praying?
Instead of doing the right thing and choosing to be friendly to the new girl, I stood in the church pew and watched her leave the building. Sure, I felt a twinge of guilt about ignoring her. But I just didn’t feel like talking to her. It wasn’t my responsibility to be the welcoming committee. I wasn’t obligated to speak to her. At least, those were the excuses that I formulated.
Sometimes, we read Scripture and wonder what we're supposed to learn by reading it. But other times, God gives us a lightbulb moment. And last week, God turned the lightbulb on in my mind. The Scripture passage about our spirit being willing but our flesh being weak (from Matthew 26) finally made sense to me.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 