Romans 14:22
I have felt burdened by a thought for the last couple weeks and today it's coming out. My heart aches for us christian women who think we have to be perfect. We have this amazing pressure put on us by society, and lies that have been woven into our minds about what the perfect christian, mom, wife, sister, friend, or daughter looks like. Some of us feel we are never good enough, like we need to explain why we do everything we do, afraid that others will look down at us. For example I ran into a friend in the grocery store a while back and she was in the liquor aisle. I thought nothing of it until she proceeded to explain to me why she was shopping for liquor, as if she needed to justify why she was there. Because without a good excuse she would be less of a christian? First of all, I hope I don't ever come across as the type of person that would judge her for what she was purchasing at the grocery store. I did, at first, wonder if it was just me that caused her to quickly have an excuse for why she was in the liquor aisle but the more I thought on this, and prayed for God to reveal my heart, I was never convicted of such judgement. And since it wasn't me, my next thought was, why do we women, and men, do this to ourselves? Why are we so unsure of Whose we are? What makes us worry about what others think and causes us to feel the need to be perfect or put on a perfect persona? Why do we need excuses for our house being dirty, our being late to bible study, for having a drink, or for missing church on Sunday? If we are spending time with God daily and living in His will then there is no one else we need to check in with. There is no one who can convict us of something accept for God........yes, God can use people to help convict us but if it doesn't follow God's loving, patient character then it can't be from Him.
We are all so different and what God asks of me may not be anything related to what He asks of you. What is good for me may not be good for you. We can't keep living like we are all the same with the same convictions! God may be telling me to never take a drink of alcohol but He may be telling you that one drink here or there is okay. We look through the bible and see that drunkenness is sin yet nothing is mentioned about having a drink, and so I follow my conviction because I know God's voice, but it isn't my place to make you choose like I do, and it isn't your responsibility to follow everyone else or hold yourself accountable to someone else's standards or convictions. Yes the 10 commandments apply to all of our lives and the Bible has many other commands for us to follow but outside of those things we must rely on our relationship with Jesus Christ. We have to know God's voice in our personal lives and be able to recognize when He is asking us to change or make different choices. He would never make us feel "less than". God would never condemn us for doing things, but gently redirect us and lovingly wait on us. If you are hearing a voice of condemnation or a voice of negativity sprinkled with degradation then, my dear friend, you aren't hearing God's voice!
Friends, it's time we start listening to God's voice instead of the world. It's time we get to know God's voice and allow Him to lead our lives. Stop carrying burdens not meant for us to carry and instead become the individuals God wants us to be. Let's get to know God personally. Let's be able to recognize His voice over the world's! Dear God you are ever gracious and full of mercy! We thank you for being patient with us as we draw closer to You and mature in our understanding of You. Help us to know Your voice so clearly and to be confident in who we are.........Your children.........Your beloved. Father God we ask you to convict us of the things you wish to see change in us but remind us that we are unique, that others don't have to live like we do. Correct us when we judge others and help us all to get along, accepting and loving one another with the same grace and mercy and love that You give to us. Give us boldness to speak Your Truth in love without condemning each other. Let us all walk in the freedom of knowing Your truth. In Jesus' Name Amen
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve God with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
Romans 14:17-18
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would love to hear from you!