Love The "ONES" You're With!
The lyrics of a song came to my mind the other day. I googled the song/lyrics and saw that it was a pretty ridiculous song, but there was one line that kept running through my mind!
It was this:
"...so if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with!"
Now, I haven't heard that in years, but for some reason it kept going through my mind!
Today I sat down to reflect and write about what God has been teaching me lately. I opened my journal and started typing a few of the verses that I have written down. Some of them were the following:
Ps. 34 "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My life makes its boast in the Lord, let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 4. I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him (of necessity and on the authority or His Word) and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.22. The Lord redeems the lives of His servants..."
Ps. 35. "And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of (my reasons for) Your praise all the day long.
Then I read something I had written down. It was this: " I should never "check out" mentally from a place where God has put me. If I am still in this place, then God has me here and I need to be 'all here' and use this time for His glory."
So, how does this fit together?
There are some circumstances in our lives that are hard and I have been tempted to "check out" mentally. To quit. To say "I've had it. I'm done!" The whole time I have been tempted to do that, all the verses I have been reading have been saying, "bless the Lord...praise Him continually...boast in Him...seek Him....He is in control!" When I am tempted to "check out", my focus is on me...poor little old me! ME! ME! ME! When I choose to bless, praise and boast in God, my focus is on God....a big God! THE ONE TRUE GOD!
The older I get I am growing in my understanding of what it means when people say they "long for heaven". When I was younger I didn't really "get" that because there was so much life to live! Even though, Lord willing, I have a lot of life left to live, the aches and pains of life have caused me to look forward to heaven. Not in a morbid way, or even in a way that wants to escape suffering. I really have been blessed beyond measure....far more than I deserve...but life--the Christian life especially--is HARD. And the thought of actually meeting the God that I have been privileged to get to know in a deeper way BECAUSE OF THE HARD STUFF IN MY LIFE is actually becoming much more appealing to me!
That's where the song comes in!
I am learning what it means to long for heaven. To want to be with the ONE I am learning to love more. BUT, until that day I MUST NOT "check out" mentally. I must live my life, in all of my circumstances, as an act of worship to God. Serving and loving those who come across my path! So....If I can't be with the ONE I love...I MUST love the those I am with! My husband. My children. Anyone who comes to my door. The homeless lady at the grocery store. The lady who cuts my hair. The check out lady at Target. The people at my church. The lady sitting next to me in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Love them. Let God love them through me. Bring Him glory. Show Him how much I love Him by loving those I am with!
If I can't be with the ONE I love, love the "ones" I am with...serve them, hug them, tell them about the ONE I love, praise HIM continually and talk of HIS righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of (my reasons for) praising HIM all the day long.
"Oh, Father. I need YOUR strength to enable me to not "check out". I need YOUR strength to enable me to see...I mean REALLY SEE the ones you have put in my life that YOU have called me to love. And I need YOUR strength to enable me to be faithful to what I've been called to do, for YOUR glory!
Amen."
It was this:
"...so if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with!"
Now, I haven't heard that in years, but for some reason it kept going through my mind!
Today I sat down to reflect and write about what God has been teaching me lately. I opened my journal and started typing a few of the verses that I have written down. Some of them were the following:
Ps. 34 "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My life makes its boast in the Lord, let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 4. I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him (of necessity and on the authority or His Word) and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.22. The Lord redeems the lives of His servants..."
Ps. 35. "And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of (my reasons for) Your praise all the day long.
Then I read something I had written down. It was this: " I should never "check out" mentally from a place where God has put me. If I am still in this place, then God has me here and I need to be 'all here' and use this time for His glory."
So, how does this fit together?
There are some circumstances in our lives that are hard and I have been tempted to "check out" mentally. To quit. To say "I've had it. I'm done!" The whole time I have been tempted to do that, all the verses I have been reading have been saying, "bless the Lord...praise Him continually...boast in Him...seek Him....He is in control!" When I am tempted to "check out", my focus is on me...poor little old me! ME! ME! ME! When I choose to bless, praise and boast in God, my focus is on God....a big God! THE ONE TRUE GOD!
The older I get I am growing in my understanding of what it means when people say they "long for heaven". When I was younger I didn't really "get" that because there was so much life to live! Even though, Lord willing, I have a lot of life left to live, the aches and pains of life have caused me to look forward to heaven. Not in a morbid way, or even in a way that wants to escape suffering. I really have been blessed beyond measure....far more than I deserve...but life--the Christian life especially--is HARD. And the thought of actually meeting the God that I have been privileged to get to know in a deeper way BECAUSE OF THE HARD STUFF IN MY LIFE is actually becoming much more appealing to me!
That's where the song comes in!
I am learning what it means to long for heaven. To want to be with the ONE I am learning to love more. BUT, until that day I MUST NOT "check out" mentally. I must live my life, in all of my circumstances, as an act of worship to God. Serving and loving those who come across my path! So....If I can't be with the ONE I love...I MUST love the those I am with! My husband. My children. Anyone who comes to my door. The homeless lady at the grocery store. The lady who cuts my hair. The check out lady at Target. The people at my church. The lady sitting next to me in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Love them. Let God love them through me. Bring Him glory. Show Him how much I love Him by loving those I am with!
If I can't be with the ONE I love, love the "ones" I am with...serve them, hug them, tell them about the ONE I love, praise HIM continually and talk of HIS righteousness, rightness, and justice, and of (my reasons for) praising HIM all the day long.
"Oh, Father. I need YOUR strength to enable me to not "check out". I need YOUR strength to enable me to see...I mean REALLY SEE the ones you have put in my life that YOU have called me to love. And I need YOUR strength to enable me to be faithful to what I've been called to do, for YOUR glory!
Amen."
Chats With An "Old Lady"
and
Bearing Burdens
Labels: Gina's articles, Love
posted by Unknown @ 12:03 AM
9 Comments:
Amen, wise words my friend.
Oh I can so relate to "checking out" and not "being there mentally." It's the story of my life. And it's a hard one to change.
I just have one bone to pick with you...nobody who's less than a year older than me can be an "old lady!" :D
Hugs to you!
Gina~ These are such wise words! They made an impact on the way I'm thinking about some things. Thanks! :-)
Jennifer
Well said. I can completely relate as I tend to "check out" on many things these days. But God does call us to live today - and live it to the full, right? (John 10:10) Thanks for the reminder! ~Shane
You definitely spoke to my heart. I am guilty of "checking out" too. Thank you for these encouraging words!
I was "checked out" a second ago, but the Lord just reigned me in. Thanks, sister!
Gina, I've felt the same way..... longing for home, when life's "stuff" beats down...
But you are right... we can't check out... we must stay engaged... for we are here..... not there....
I enjoyed this post!
Thanks!
OH this was great. I am wondering if I can get my hubby to read this....(he needs to read this!) Thank you for sharing something that we ALL need to be reminded.
AMEN!!!
God bless you!
Genikwa
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