Giving up

I once heard someone comment that they never went out in public in sweatpants because they "really hadn't given up on [themselves] yet." And for a while I really tried. I gave up wearing my sweats in public out of fear of what others thought of me. 

But you know what? I like wearing my sweatpants. They are comfortable. They always fit. And when you live in Upstate NY where it is winter 6 months out of the year; they are warm. And frankly fashion-sense has not been one of my strongest points in life. 

So I decided, I am giving up. I am giving up caring what people think of me if I wear my sweat pants in public. I would rather be comfortable than cool. 

I wish it were so easy in other areas. John 12:43 says, "for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God." And later on in Colossians we are reminded to serve not by way of "eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." 

Lord help me to be careful to serve You first, to care most what is on Your heart, and help me to be careless of what people think  of me when I am obedient to You. 

Good

I don't have all my thoughts together on this but I have been thinking about Romans 8:28, "For we know that all things work together for our good to them that are the called according to His purpose." Sometimes this is hard to take in--what I see allowed in to my life or the lives of others does not always seem good. But then last night during our prayer time at Bible Study I was praying for someone who is awaiting lung transplant. I have always struggled to know how to pray for that-- and I have prayed about people awaiting lung transplant frequently in my line of work. The difficulty is that in order for one to live another must die and how do you weigh the value of a life? And so as I prayed last night I thanked our Great God that He knows what good is. Because the truth is, we don't. Without heaven's perspective we cannot even begin to grasp what is good for us. But "those whom He foreknew [of whom He was [k]aware and [l]loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren." This is what is good for us--that we be made like Him. And so I pray that I would receive with open hands, and a willing and thankful heart,whatever He has for me each day, trusting the One who knows what is good for me.