I’m not sure why, but I decided to repost my first ever written post on this blog. This will be post #340 here on talkkindnesstome.com. Before you read let me say I hope what you read here today is not at all like what you experienced yesterday or will experience today. Instead I hope your day is bathed in the light of life and that you have unspeakable joy. I pray that for everyone who reads.
There is opportunity every day to experience the moodiness of others; sometimes even the moodiness of myself. There are days when I’m mystified by the raw, biting attitudes of people who seem to be numb to the effect their attitudes have on co-workers, friends, and even their family – sometimes especially their family. Recently I was listening to one side of a conversation and as the dialog continued, I could feel the tension and heat in the air as the power play continued. While it was impossible to detect the winner, both parties were certainly defeated. It’s painful for someone like me who just wants everyone’s world to be perfect to witness the obvious peril of individuals who can’t agree, put aside grievances, and just get along. Right! Perfect is just a word, it’s not a state of being. In this world there will be disagreements …. LOUD and hurtful disagreements.
This is what hurts even more. A friend who finds fault, and criticizes instead of supports and encourages. A friend who is generally kind, but lets every little irritation become a battle, and everyone inside the circle become targets and victims of the schrapnel. We are all so human. In this world there will be pain and sadness. I don’t often read the some of the forgotten books of the Old Testament, but Ecclesiastes 8:9 from the Message spoke to me. ” All this I observed as I tried my best to understand all that’s going on in this world. As long as men and women have the power to hurt each other, this is the way it is.”
If this happens, run – don’t walk to the book of Psalms where you will find spiritual comfort food and cool water for your totally dehydrated spirit. Psalm 59:16 says “I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Then believe that God is bigger than any problem you have. Jeremiah 32:17 was written for those of us who need to be reminded of that. “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
I am so glad God is always the same. If He disagrees with something I’ve done, He responds the same as He does when I do something right. And just because I do something right doesn’t mean I will live a life free of pain. My life is a process lived out through faith in a God who never changes. He doesn’t get indignant and change his words to get back at me. He doesn’t turn his back on me when I make a mistake. He doesn’t expect me to do stupid things then reject me as damaged goods when I do. In fact look at the proof in Lamentations 3:22-26 “I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is God’s faithfulness. I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His mood and acts toward me are not dependent on my waivering mood or flawed acts toward Him.
God doesn’t have mood swings.
Amen
Because of Grace we Press On