This past weekend I overheard a conversation where a daughter was very upset with her sister. It was a typical childhood situation where they're looking into the future, but the parent's response almost made me gasp. She gave her daughter a hug, reminded her that she needed to pray for her sister, that as God continued to sanctify and change her sister into being more like Him then the problem might rectify itself.
I don't think I even knew the word sanctify or sanctification at that age. I'm even more impressed that the mother recognized the heart of the matter. Addressing an argument about what might/might not happen in the future was truly futile. Helping a sister recognize 1) the need to pray for others 2) not everyone has the same strengths and personality traits and 3) only God can change a person is absolutely wonderful.
And while neither Mom nor daughter were aware, that conversation ministered to me.
So many times when I look in my spiritual mirror, I don't like what I see. (That's not a whole lot different than looking in my physical mirror, to be honest.) Sometimes it seems we focus so much on becoming more Christlike and "changing" that it's discouraging. I feel as if I'm in a never-ending cycle of failure.
It was so refreshing to hear a scenario play out where people looked at the possibilities and the improvements and the not short-comings and failures. It was a reminder that I'm to do my part but then not stress out over anything else. In short, I need to quit trying to do God's job. There's freedom in that. I can quit worrying about the journey and instead focus on today's portion of the trip. And if you've ever traveled with me, you know that means LOTS of stops at rest areas. :)
I don't think I even knew the word sanctify or sanctification at that age. I'm even more impressed that the mother recognized the heart of the matter. Addressing an argument about what might/might not happen in the future was truly futile. Helping a sister recognize 1) the need to pray for others 2) not everyone has the same strengths and personality traits and 3) only God can change a person is absolutely wonderful.
And while neither Mom nor daughter were aware, that conversation ministered to me.
So many times when I look in my spiritual mirror, I don't like what I see. (That's not a whole lot different than looking in my physical mirror, to be honest.) Sometimes it seems we focus so much on becoming more Christlike and "changing" that it's discouraging. I feel as if I'm in a never-ending cycle of failure.
It was so refreshing to hear a scenario play out where people looked at the possibilities and the improvements and the not short-comings and failures. It was a reminder that I'm to do my part but then not stress out over anything else. In short, I need to quit trying to do God's job. There's freedom in that. I can quit worrying about the journey and instead focus on today's portion of the trip. And if you've ever traveled with me, you know that means LOTS of stops at rest areas. :)
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