here are some more notes from my bible/growth study. After receiving some very upsetting news from one of my dearest friends I've really been calling on the LORD this week. He is ALMIGHTY HEALER, REDEEMER, AND RESTORER. All things are possible through him. It takes some serious humility to allow God to work His plan our in our lives.
What part of your life do you think is most useful to God? Do you think there is great potential for your talents, skills or abilities? Those areas where you shine are probably quite influential, but think about something: where is your point of pain? What was your hardest hour of being humbled? When did you feel brokenness? Did you know that your greatest suffering will never go unnoticed by God? God is a master at helping us use our negative experiences to minister to others. I have several "hardest hours" that I can recall. The first time was when I was 12 and my parents told me that my only option for getting better was a heart transplant. I was only 12, but I will remember that life altering moment for the rest of my life. It was right there, in the car at the park, that I grew up and began making very adult decisions at a very young age. But God promised 2 things to me that day and He has fulfilled one promise (yes, it took 13 years for Him to fulfill one promise; that I would get married to a wonderful, godly man). He still has fulfilled the other promise, but I anticipate it to be filled in the next year or so. Can you guess what it is? The second and probably "hardest hour" (really days) was when I was tested and diagnosed with cancer at 20. I was in the middle of the happiest time of my life, thus far (college), I was going to be an RA, I had the world at my feet, and my life literally fell apart. I have never been angrier with God as I was in those moments, but I was also completely humbled, realizing that He had the power to heal me and through my illness allow Him to shine. And He did...He healed me...and He got the glory. And then my most recent "hardest hours"...being told I needed another transplant and going through all of that pain. I was completely humbled. I knew that God would bring me the perfect heart in His time, but that it was my job to "praise Him in the storm" to be a source of hope and encouragement to others. I had my dark hours when I just wanted to crawl in bed and wake up when it was all over. but I also knew that He couldn't be glorified that way. I don't want anyone reading this to think that I never had a bad, sad, discouraging day...because I had countless of them; from just curling up and numbing my self with xanax and sleep (which thankfully only happened a couple of times) to literally throwing things and having a screaming fit...I reacted to my trials in some not so glorifying ways. But in the midst of all of those bad days I knew in the deepest part of my soul that God would take of me...He was in control, when I was out of control, He hurt with me, and caught every one of my tears. When you realize this all you can do is to be humbled. Remember that humility is the natural result of having an accurate view of who God is and having the right perspective of who you are in relation to him.
Humility is the essential ingredient in the Christian life. The following eight core practices of Christian living are all powerless unless they partner with humility.
1. Worship: true worship attributes worth to God and in doing so, it magifies the contrast between God and us. Worship is the ultimate act of declaring that God is God and we are not. It takes humilty to truly worship.
2. Self Esteem: letting go of everything we think makes us great, and in doing so, we discover the true self God created us to be. We are wanted by God and that is where we should gather our self-esteem. It takes humilty to see ourselves as God sees us.
3. Honesty: whether you lie to yourself, to God, or to another person, a lie is never independent--it is always born of a need to hide another sin related to pride. It is humbling to truthfully reveal something we have done that we'd rather not make known. It takes humilty to be honest.
4. Obedience: requires giving up my way, my rights, my entitlements. The obedient person is more interested in their holiness than there happiness. It takes humilty to be obedient. (God knows, I can't even begin to be obedient without His help)
5. Teachability: Humble people are lifelong learners who do not disregard the input of others, even in areas where they feel knowledgeable. It takes humilty to be teachable.
6. Servanthood: requires us to set aside our prestige, position, and rights in order to serve others. Having great gifts and talents doesn't mean they all have to be in use all the time. It takes humilty to serve.
7. Waiting: means allowing God to direct us instead of pushing our own agenda. It can also be as simple as closing our mouth until God clearly gives us release to speak. It takes humility to wait. (this is really hard for me!)
8. Brokenness: failure or loss has a way of stripping away our false values and selfish obsessions. Then, God steps in and uses the very thing in which we can't glory for his glory. At the point we feel most useless, that's when God can choose to transform us into highest usefulness. A humble person is a broken person.
I'll wrap this post up with this verse, which also happened to be the verse that was in my daily devotional, so I'm thinking that God wants me to share it and maybe encourage someone out there who's needing a little reminder of just how great our God is.
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
have a blessed day....Angela