Journal Entry ~ 08/14/19

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!  - Psalm 133:1

If my desire is to grow more Christlike, then my responses have to grow more loving and more peaceful. Where its hardest to love in your life, where it’s hardest to make peace, you're most like our Savior when you choose love as your response. 

This verse commands us to strive for peace with everyone, so if I am disrespected by my children, wronged by my family, disregarded by my husband, or deceived by a co-worker, I am commanded here to work for peace. That means my response must show His love. I cannot pay them back with evil despite the fact that my flesh is screaming they deserve it. It doesn't mean I have to just allow or accept the behavior without a response - God doesn't call us to be a doormat, but my response cannot be sinful. I cannot scream in anger, shut them out in hurt, or gossip in revenge. I have to respond in a way that seeks to do good and seeks to make peace in the conflict. 

That kind of unconditional response is impossible without fully relying on the Holy Spirit. When my flesh is hurt, the last thing I want to do is make peace with the person. My emotions want to rise up in anger or walk away hurt. But peace is what He calls me toward. How will my response communicate to this person that my greatest desire is to have peace with them? That should be the question behind every response. 

I am learning to recognize my emotions in the moment as a trigger and walk away rather than responding, then when I've worked through the emotional response by bringing it to Him, I am in a much better place to respond in love. I'm far from perfect in this - I have a long way to go, but He is growing me tremendously in this area. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Update ~ 09/27/17

Image
Today was a challenging day.  I met with the oncologist to discuss chemo as part of my treatment plan.  The oncologist explained there were 3 additional invasions discovered during surgery, so there were actually 4 isolated invasions in the breast tissue.  To review - my diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  All 4 of the invasions are HER2+ (aggressive) and hormone negative (recurrent).  My oncologist walked us through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCM) guidelines for treatment of this type of aggressive, recurrent cancer - chemo and radiation. The good news is God had already moved the mountain in my heart opposing chemo, and rested me in a place of acceptance.  While my initial prayers focused on not having to have chemo as part of my treatment, after hearing I had multiple invasions, He moved me to a place of understanding that chemo is a necessary part of my treatment.  If there were 4 invasions in the sample they took, there co
Read more

My Journey Begins...

I am a believer in Christ, and I have breast cancer.     On August 17, 2017, I was diagnosed with an aggressive (HER2+), recurrent (hormone negative) type of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  At this point, they have not yet staged my cancer because they are waiting for the biopsy results from a suspicious spot in the second breast. The biopsy is scheduled for September 5th, with a lumpectomy to follow on September 7th.  They will formally stage my cancer after they biopsy my lymph nodes, which will be taken during the surgery.  It doesn't make any sense to me that I have a cancer diagnosis - I am a fairly healthy woman who runs 2 miles almost every day and eats a gluten-free, primarily paleo diet, with no family history at all.  But it makes sense to God, and so here I am. Update ~ They found 4 isolated invasions during the lumpectomy.  Due to the nature of my cancer (HER2+ and ER-), the recommended protocol is chemotherapy and radiation.  Beginning in October, my chemotherapy regime
Read more

Grace in Marriage

When we launched our new blog we had no idea if anyone would see it or be helped by it, but we knew that the LORD was prompting us to step out in faith and just do it. The response has been amazing and we are looking forward to how God will use this space for His glory. We have learned over many years of service in a variety of ministries, that God does not require human assistance to realize His plans for individuals, churches, nations, or the human race. But the story of the bible is the story of God’s will playing out through the words and actions of the His children. So…we pray, meditate on his Word, and write from the heart about the truths that mold our faith, guide our actions, and inspire our hearts and minds. Please visit the site and subscribe to continue receiving posts.  https://graceinmarriage.com/ It is our sincere hope that you are blessed by our work here and welcome your input on how we can make Grace in Marriage even better. Thank you for your support.
Read more