I have not written on my blog in a few years, but I feel God is calling me back to some writing. As I look back on my past posts, it amazes me how faithful God is and how He allows our faith to grow and evolve. I would love your comments and feedback on my posts. Let's learn and grow together and explore these faith and spiritual and LIFE matters authentically (hence my title...Just Keepin' It Real). Thank you for reading!
Things I want my tribe to know…
1. People will
disappoint you, but God will NEVER let you down.
God did not intend for other people to be your Savior. He did not intend for you to rely on people
to make you happy. He intended for you
to fully rely on Him and for you to find your joy in Him. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Easier said than done, right?
How many times have you been let down by someone you thought
was your person? Maybe your best friend? Maybe a relative? Maybe someone you have shared your deepest
secrets with?
It’s so hard when that moment happens. When they say or do something that cuts you
to the core and makes you question the relationship. Do they
not know me as well as I thought they did?
Don’t they know how I feel about that?
Why don’t they care enough to…? Perhaps these thoughts have gone
through your head as you rethink this person’s place in your life.
I must confess. I
have had these things happen more often than I care to admit. But you know what I have come to
realize? It is not them. It is me.
I place too much pressure on that person, and the moment they hurt my
feelings, I am ready to jet. Ask my
husband…it has happened time and time again.
When we put too much stock into people, we lose sight of
what is truly important. We take our
eyes off God, and we place the target on someone else to make us happy or, even
worse, to fulfill us. And when the arrow
does not hit the bull’s eye, we grab our arrows and go home in a huff because
frankly, we are making life all about our self.
And here is the biggest secret of all…most of the time that person
did not even mean to hurt your feelings. So, as a side note, why not give
people the benefit of the doubt more?
Before being ready to throw the towel in on a relationship, step back
and examine what has happened. Pray
about it. If it seems right, talk to the
person about it. I wish all those times
I got my feelings hurt, I had been brave enough to just have a conversation
with the person about what I was feeling and then comparing that to what the
person actually meant. I really believe
it would have saved a lot of heartaches and some relationships.
God never meant for us to find our value in people. Our value is in Him and Him alone. He wants us to constantly seek His face. To find our worth in Him. To share our deepest, darkest secrets with Him. To seek His advice, His wisdom, His
will. With Him, we cannot go wrong. With Him, if our feelings get hurt or our
hopes get let down, we can rest assure that it is because He knows all and sees
all and is working out things bigger than we can ask or imagine.
Romans 8:31 says, “..If God is for us, who is against us?” God is so for us. He is so for you! He is faithful. He works all things together for your good. People will disappoint. There may be times when it seems like God is
disappointing you or letting you down.
Rest assured in this. God knows
all. He sees all. He has His reasons for allowing things to
happen. He does not let you down. He sent His Son to die a cruel death on the
cross. A death He did not deserve. Do you think Jesus was disappointed with
God? No, He said, “Into thy hands, I
commit my spirit!” May we be people who
fully trust in God and with great confidence shout, “Into thy hands, I commit
my spirit!”
Enjoy your earthly relationships. There is truly something special about heart
ties here on earth. Just be careful that
you do not invest more into them then you do into your relationship with your
Heavenly Father. People will disappoint,
whether on purpose or unknowingly, but God will NEVER let you down.
I am participating in a writing challenge put on by my friend, Renee. She has titled it "Things I Need My Kids to Know Before I Die." The following links are others who are participating in this challenge.
Join us each week as we explore this topic. Hopefully, it will get you thinking and maybe writing? We all have a voice!!
Thanks for sharing Traci...this was really good. I've been pondering this idea too. Working at being someone who gives a lot of grace. Good word!
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