Good evening! For the next 13 days, I will be on a mission trip to Vietnam. During that time, I will have new blogs each night from guest authors! (Also, on many nights, I will post pictures from my trip here!) For the next 26 evenings, my spot will be filled by my dear sister in Christ, Trina Agee Cornell! Trina and I went through many mission trips together and I have been a guest in Trina's and her husband, Bob's home. Please keep me in your prayers!
I enjoy communicating with my family and friends through social media – especially Facebook. I follow a number of people and organizations that focus their efforts on spreading positivity to the masses. I love reading posts from Proverbs 31 Ministries, tobymac, Lysa TerKeurst (the founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries) – and Power of Positivity. I came across this organization through a friend of mine – I noticed that she shared posts from them on a regular basis, and I decided I would “like” the page and check it out for myself. Power of Positivity has spoken to me on a number of levels – the Lord allows just the right one to cross my path when it is most needed. I wanted to focus this series of blog posts on the posts that have resonated with me – and the lessons that I have learned from them.
“Don’t trip over what is behind you.”
Never have more true words been spoken – and as always, they hit me at the most opportune time. I have a tendency to be my worst critic – I grew up with a type-A personality, coupled with a perfectionist mindset. If I could not do it right the first time, I did not want to try anymore. Why give it any effort if I cannot do it right? This especially came out when I would make mistakes – when my day would be “less than perfect”. In those moments, I would punish myself – I would find a way to make up for the imperfection the next day. On a number of occasions, this would occur if I chose not to work out – or not to eat healthily on a particular day. My personal punishment would be either working out harder or sticking to a “diet” of sorts, making myself feel bad for the ways in which I messed up.
These words remind the that the past is the past – there is nothing I can do to change it. I have since learned how to forgive myself in these moments – not feeling the guilt and shame that comes with the sin in my life. I remember what David said in one of his many psalms – “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (103:12). If the Lord can do this for me, then I need to be able to do this for myself – and not “trip over” what is behind me.
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org
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