This advice was not easy for me to follow this morning as I felt a great deal of sorrow - not just due to the death of our friend, but also because of the way I had behaved yesterday. When lunch-time came, I didn't feel like fixing anything. My husband was gone for most of the day, so it was just me and I was grieving the loss of my friend and the pain his wife was going through. I remembered I had bought some crackers that I had intended to serve the night before with the soup I made, but when the time came, they didn't even cross my mind and never got put on the table. They sounded awfully good - comfort food you know. A little voice whispered to me, "You know they don't have that much nutrition in them. Why don't you have that leftover soup?" But I said to that voice, "I don't care. They sound good. I'll eat them with an orange for added nutrition." Not only did I do that, but when supper time came around, I still wasn't willing to warm up the soup, but instead just ate more crackers.
My intent in sharing this is not to debate the relative nutrition of various foods, but simply to acknowledge the fact that I made food my god yesterday. God reminded me of my choice to honor my body as His temple and feed it more nourishing foods, and I told Him I didn't care! How could I do such a thing after enjoying such a spiritual feast at His table the day before, and again enjoying my daily bread that very morning? I felt so demoralized and sorrowful this morning as I realized what I had done!
God in His mercy, reminded me of a truth I have come to recognize in the past - and demonstrated so thoroughly yesterday. It's summed up in I Cor 10:12: "Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." When I am facing challenging circumstances, I tend to be more aware of the possibility of "falling" and thus, more conscious of my need to rely on God. It is when things are going well, that I need to be most on my guard!
I think I may have first become aware of this phenomenon when I took a hard look at my tendency to overeat several years ago. I knew that I had a tendency to overeat when dealing with things that were difficult for me to handle emotionally, and that I needed to learn better ways of handling challenges if I were to overcome this character defect. As I watched myself, however, I began to discover that it wasn't just hard times that triggered my overeating. I was just as likely to overeat when things were going really well and I was feeling extra good! That was a bit of a shock, but true nonetheless.
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of this phenomenon as well. This morning, several were brought to mind. One example was that of Peter. Jesus told him that before the day was out he would deny Jesus 3 times. Peter didn't believe that for a moment - but it turned out to be true. This story was so comforting to me this morning. I'm not the only one who has denied my Lord! Peter did it and was clearly forgiven and able to move past it. I hear God's gentle voice in my mind asking me, "Lovest me more than these?" and I can only reply as Peter did, "Lord, you know that I love you!" (John 21:15-17)
Father, thank you for your love and your power in my life. Forgive me for not being willing to accept it yesterday when it was offered! Please continue your work in my life, helping me both to will and to do of your good pleasure!
Returning to the verse I woke up with, it is part of a very short psalm that I have memorized - just 5 short verses. In the Amplified Bible it goes like this:
"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations."5 short verses, but they are SO powerful. I am so grateful to remember that He recognizes me as one of His sheep. Having never owned sheep, I decided to do a little research on sheep behavior. I came across this article. It made for some interesting reading, as I continually asked myself, how am I like a sheep?
One of the things I note is that with sheep, much of their day is spent eating and "chewing their cud", and if a sheep isn't doing this, it's a sign of illness. I suspect I could spend more time doing this. The more time I spend "chewing my cud" - continuing throughout my day to consciously "chew on" the daily bread I've eaten in the morning, ruminating on it, the better off I will be!
Sheep also tend to be followers - this can get them into trouble, or it can be good for them depending on whom or what they are following. Clearly I will be better off as I become better at following my Shepherd.
Sheep also are members of a flock, liking to make sure they are with several of their kind all the time. Isolating behavior is a sign of illness. I've certainly seen in my life that isolating behavior is a sign of illness and tends to go along with a tendency to overeat. There's a difference between being alone and isolating. I spend a great deal of time alone, but usually it is not isolating behavior. For example, I may talk to friends and family on the phone or via the internet, or I may be working on projects designed to share with others. There HAVE been times when I've isolated, however. At those times I've refused to answer the phone or the door, kept my drapes closed, and hid out in my house hoping to avoid people. I am reminded that it is important to spend time with like-minded people, and I am so grateful for friends, family, and internet acquaintances who help fill this need.
For today, I'm thankful God recognizes and understands my sheep-like behavior and leads me lovingly as the good Shepherd that he is! Father, thank you so much for your guidance in my life and your willingness to continue to lead me - even when I am willful! Thank you for the reminder that I cannot let up my guard just because things are going well, but instead need to "take heed" at those times. Thank you for your forgiveness in my life and your power for change. I ask that You change me at depth so that Your will becomes mine and my thoughts and actions are guided by Your will at all times. I ask for you to indeed be my Shepherd, running interference as needed between me and those things which are not for my best good. Thank you, Father, for continuing the work in me that You have begun! You indeed ARE good, and Your mercy is indeed everlasting. I am so grateful!
1 comment:
I appreciate your thoughts about sheep--especially about chewing the cud. They are grazers also, so they glean a little from here and a little from there. As to them being followers. They tend to follow one another, which is why the shepherd needs a rod to gently guide them back into place. "All we like sheep have gone astray." Sheep have a tendency to do that. No wonder the Bible likens us to sheep. I, too, want to follow the shepherd instead of following others, perhaps to destruction. Good post!
Post a Comment
This blog is simply a sharing of my "daily bread" - my daily walk with God. If something I've said has touched your heart, or sparked a new thought, I'd love to hear from you.