My Utmost For His Highest – The Distraction of Contempt
“Daydreaming” (the picture’s title)
As I did with “The Ocean Has A Shore”, I’ll give you what I choose as the highlights to me in the above article. If you choose to read the article yourself (it’s a link), you’ll be able to decide for yourself what you think the highlights are. Also, again, any italics, underlining, bold, etc., are mine:
“Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our mind from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare to indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from faith in God. Until we get back into a quiet mood before Him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives.
“Beware of ‘the cares of this world….’ (Mark 4:19)….Another thing that distracts us is our passion for vindication….Our Lord never explained anything–He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves.
“When we discern that other people are not growing spiritually and allow that discernment to turn to criticism, we block our fellowship with God. God never gives us discernment so that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.”
So good to remember! Especially the last line about God giving us discernment so that we may intercede, not criticize. Far too often, I find myself looking at others critically and in a judgmental way. However, God’s been working in me and reminding me that I have no right to throw stones as I’ve sinned as well. It’s not my job to judge or to criticize, no matter how much I long to “help” by “commenting” on what another person’s doing. The log in my own eye is far too large to keep me from helping the person with the speck in her eye.
I like to be understood. I think this is totally true for everyone, whether people admit it or not. We want our needs and wants to be shared and to be made clear, but we aren’t always sure how to go about this. People misunderstand things a lot, whether it’s because they choose to misunderstand or because we aren’t clear. I tend to over-explain when I feel that I need to get a point across, and, oft’ times, in doing so, I just make things worse. When will I learn to just leave things alone? Sometimes I really do need to get a point across and to explain things, but more often, I can just leave things alone and let them work themselves out. If someone doesn’t want to hear, then I need to just let it go and to be silent. I need to follow Jesus’ example and stop explaining. The Holy Spirit’ll make things clear if they need to be, especially if someone’s open to His speaking.
“The cares of this world” ~ how many times do I let them drag me down? As I wrote earlier today, my focus needs to be on God. “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” So true! So why do I worry about my needs? I’ve seen His care for me so many times ~ so why do I doubt? Why do I take my needs and wants and life so seriously? God’s in control; therefore, I have absolutely no need to be worried. Yes, I need to work and to do what I can to provide for my needs, but God’s provided me with the ability to do so, with a job to earn money, and gifts and talents to do things I enjoy. So why think too much about stuff that I have no control over?
See, I think that’s the whole thing here ~ dwelling on what’s out of my control. If I focus on God and let Him work, then my eyes are where they need to be. My heart and mind and soul are in focus, and I relax a lot more. When I get worried and panic, or at least keep my mind on my troubles, then I’m in a bad place. I tend to look at what’s wrong and think that’s where I need to keep my mind. However, when I look at God and place my trust firmly in Him and keep my eyes on HIM, then I relax and I get out the state of depression I find myself in far too often.
I know that many people truly suffer from chemical depression or manic depression, and that they can’t pull themselves out of it as I can my own depressions, and I’m not talking about that sort of thing. People with those types of mental illnesses need professional help and should seek it out. However, it never hurts to have faith in God and to pray and to seek God’s help, and I strongly and truly believe that part of the way that God helps people with any illness is through medical professionals. They have the training and expertise that God’s provided to help others. I’m so thankful for medical knowledge that people have, and I’m so thankful to see how it’s helped many people I know and care about.
What I’m talking about here is when I sink back down into the ocean depths and think too much and dwell on my troubles and allow stuff to get the better of me. Much of 2007’s a great example of this. I was so down and upset over my financial situation and how little I was making. I had very little energy left to do anything about it because all my energy and stamina and all I had in me was focused on self pity. Did I have a right to feel sorry for myself? No. I wasn’t doing anything about my situation; nor was I using what God’s given me to help myself. I wasn’t looking to God, and I certainly wasn’t spending any quality time with Him. I’m ashamed now when I look back at how I got so drawn into myself, down into my ocean’s depths, instead of staying on the shore. My life was in a serious state, and something did need to be done about it. I needed to think of ideas on getting out of the situation I was in, and so, yes, I did need to think about what needed to be done.
What I did NOT need to do was get so far down that I could not see the shore, or at least the water’s surface. I needed to stay on the shore, or at least close to it.
I choose to stay on the shore, at the water’s edge. That’s where things are clear and the pressure’s not there. The sunshine and the breeze brush over my skin and through my hair, and I can revel with others around me. I have pleasure and joy, and I enjoy life on the shore. I can paddle in the shallow water and teasingly splash at those around me. It’s fun on the shore, and the shore is a good place to be.
