Octiber 11-Overbend

It’s Thursday! I hope your week has been half as good as mine, since I’ve been spending quite a bit of time snuggling with a little guy who is one week old today. 


Yesterday, I think I learned a couple of things. 1) Let your support and comfort come first from God. People try, but they are going to say and do silly things because we are all people. But if your primary support is from God, you can have the grace to be kind to the silliest of folks. 2) In those areas where we need work, we just may have to “over bend” a little. Shannon, my hand therapist, reshaped my night splint and my knuckle over straightens when it’s in the splint. She is trying to train my finger to be straight so a little over straightening can help it to be straighter. You see people do that with trees that are crooked. They will tie a rope and not straighten the tree, but bend it the other way so that when they let it go, it’s straight. 


So as I’m thinking about both of those this morning, I wondered why God was bringing those particular things to my mind. They seem completely unrelated until I prayed for just the slightest bit and then, it is as clear as if God himself wrote it out with a sharpie. 


My tolerance for people who are silly is not good. My sister bought me a shirt for my birthday that says “This September girl does not play well with stupid.” And truly, she knows me very well. I know that what I have to do is first repent for such an attitude and then, over bend. Go the 2nd and 3rd mile for those folks who try my patience and make me a little nutty. Spend twice as much time as I’d like talking and visiting. Pray for them specifically and above all, be overly nice. I’ve go to over-bend my tree that has grown the wrong way far too long. 


“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭NLT‬‬


Dear Lord, thank you for your great grace and for extending it to me. I love you and I worship your great Name this day. Help me Jesus and teach me your ways that I might be kind to each other. 

You are the rock of our salvation, and our hearts sing hallelujah to you this day. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear one,

Pam

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January 17, 2020

Happy Friday. It’s the end of another week and we have had more opportunities to share the love of Christ with those around us and sometimes that takes quite a bit of effort. I don’t know about you, but I’m not always anxious to embrace others and really listen to them or share with them (especially those who I don’t know well). Sometimes, I just look at them and think “Are you for real?” I don’t always agree with people over politics, sports or of course, religion. And let’s face it, we’d rather spend time with people we like and mostly agree.  And then I read my Bible. God hasn’t called us to sit in our little groups with only those we naturally gravitate towards, but to love people—all people, even those who aren’t necessarily loveable. In this passage, Paul writing to the people of Colosse remarks on how wonderful it is that they truly love others. That love must have really been something over and above the normal and he tells them that it is evident that it comes from the Holy Sp
Read more

January 15, 2020

Happy Wednesday to you. I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I went to Sams. I was out of things like trash bags, toilet paper, and chicken, so off I went. I like going to Sams because there is always lots to look at and the isles are nice and wide. Everytime I’m there, I am amazed at how much stuff and everything from diapers to TVs to mangos to beds. It just seems incredible that so many things in such quantities are all under one roof.  King David never saw a store with as much stuff aa Sams of course, but he did see countless miracles and understand that God has plans. He knew from creation and history that he was serving a God of miracles and he know that God loved him and his people and would take care of them. He was amazed and awe-struck by the fact that a God who had done such great and mighty things not only cared about his people but that He loved them with such a great love.  “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can co
Read more

January 9, 2020

It’s Thursday and I woke up to the blowing wind! Lots of it—I’m dreading Boomer waking up and having to go outside with him. That harsh, bitter wind seems cruel and almost evil. But I’ll wrap myself up with a fe layers and boots and brave it all.  Sometimes I think we try to do that with things we know aren’t right—things that are evil. We try to wrap ourselves up and just wade into it, but Paul tells us we should reject it—stay away from it. “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:20-24‬ NIV When he wrote this he’d been in Berea and the Christians there diligently searched the scriptures to make sure everything Paul said was in line. Paul here is encouraging the Thessalonians to
Read more