I Haven’t Got Time for the Pain
I’ve been sorting through some emotions and issues over the past week and I must say, this devotional fits right in so I thought I’d share it with you.
*Disclaimer: As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in no way affiliated with Proverbs 31 Ministries, just a huge fan.
_________________________________________________
I Haven’t Got Time for the Pain by Renee Swope
a Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional
“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.” Psalm 18:6a (NIV, 1984)
I knew I needed to talk with someone about the pain that was still buried in my heart, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I was tired of hurting and afraid I’d fall apart or slip back into depression if I let it all come to the surface.
I didn’t have time for falling apart. Plus it was in the past and I thought it would eventually just go away.
Have you ever avoided dealing with pain because it would take too much time? Or have you tried to pray away the pain only to realize healing is a process, but one you’re not sure you want to go through?
Although we can’t go back and change circumstances or relationships that wounded us, we can go back and process our pain with Jesus. In fact, we won’t heal from our hurts unless we do.
When left unresolved, the pain from our yesterdays can creep up in our todays and keep us from experiencing all God has for our tomorrows.
This happened in my relationship with my husband several years into our marriage. I don’t know exactly when it started, I just remember feeling a lot of anger and realizing I had a critical spirit towards JJ.
One day I sensed God showing me damaged emotions from my childhood I hadn’t dealt with or healed from. Circumstances that happened in my past were now hindering my present, casting shadows of fear and doubt over my future.
I decided to make a time line of my life, marking key “emotional” events. As I prayed over it, I wrote down any painful emotions and memories I could remember.
Although it wasn’t easy, I asked the Holy Spirit to remind me of experiences and relationships that had wounded me, what affects they’d had on me, how far from God they took me and how they had hurt me and others.
Years of disappointment as a child in a broken home with a broken heart led to a significant sense of loss. Yet, I never grieved the happily-ever-after I longed for but didn’t have. Unfulfilled hopes led to bitter expectations.
During that time God showed me how I wanted JJ to make up for what my dad had never been as a father to me, or as a husband to my mom. Hoping to create my own version of “happily-ever-after,” I became controlling and critical.
I thought if I could get JJ to be the husband and dad I wanted him to be, my broken dreams would get put back together. Maybe he could provide security and shelter for the little-girl-emotions that were still crushed inside my heart.
But my strategy wasn’t working. Instead, I needed to cry out to God with my hurts and call on Him for help. And, I needed to take time to respond to what He was showing me.
Time to seek God for my security and hope by letting Him be the father I longed for. Time to grieve things I wanted from my father that I would never have. Time to invite God into my hurting places so He could heal my wounded emotions and set me free from my fear of never having a happy ending.
Finally, I needed to forgive my father and release my feelings of anger, abandonment, disappointment and hurt. I also needed to confess my sin of unrealistic expectations and let go of what I thought was my right to “happily-ever-after.”
It was a process that took time, prayer, courage and tears, but it was worth it. Over time I was able to let go of my past and my pain as I took hold of hope and healing. I was also able to accept JJ for who he was and trust God to make him the husband He knew I needed, instead of the one I wanted.
When we allow Jesus to search our hearts and bring His perspective into our pain, redemption comes. Whether it is the pain from our yesterdays or hurts from our todays, when we give Jesus time to pour His truth into our wounds, His love flows into our pain and makes us whole again.
Dear Lord, please give me the courage and help me take the time to walk through the process of letting You heal my hurts and restore my heart with hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I Haven’t Got Time for the Pain
I’ve been sorting through some emotions and issues over the past week and I must say, this devotional fits right in so I thought I’d share it with you.
*Disclaimer: As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in no way affiliated with Proverbs 31 Ministries, just a huge fan.
_________________________________________________
I Haven’t Got Time for the Pain by Renee Swope
a Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional
“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.” Psalm 18:6a (NIV, 1984)
I knew I needed to talk with someone about the pain that was still buried in my heart, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I was tired of hurting and afraid I’d fall apart or slip back into depression if I let it all come to the surface.
I didn’t have time for falling apart. Plus it was in the past and I thought it would eventually just go away.
Have you ever avoided dealing with pain because it would take too much time? Or have you tried to pray away the pain only to realize healing is a process, but one you’re not sure you want to go through?
Although we can’t go back and change circumstances or relationships that wounded us, we can go back and process our pain with Jesus. In fact, we won’t heal from our hurts unless we do.
When left unresolved, the pain from our yesterdays can creep up in our todays and keep us from experiencing all God has for our tomorrows.
This happened in my relationship with my husband several years into our marriage. I don’t know exactly when it started, I just remember feeling a lot of anger and realizing I had a critical spirit towards JJ.
One day I sensed God showing me damaged emotions from my childhood I hadn’t dealt with or healed from. Circumstances that happened in my past were now hindering my present, casting shadows of fear and doubt over my future.
I decided to make a time line of my life, marking key “emotional” events. As I prayed over it, I wrote down any painful emotions and memories I could remember.
Although it wasn’t easy, I asked the Holy Spirit to remind me of experiences and relationships that had wounded me, what affects they’d had on me, how far from God they took me and how they had hurt me and others.
Years of disappointment as a child in a broken home with a broken heart led to a significant sense of loss. Yet, I never grieved the happily-ever-after I longed for but didn’t have. Unfulfilled hopes led to bitter expectations.
During that time God showed me how I wanted JJ to make up for what my dad had never been as a father to me, or as a husband to my mom. Hoping to create my own version of “happily-ever-after,” I became controlling and critical.
I thought if I could get JJ to be the husband and dad I wanted him to be, my broken dreams would get put back together. Maybe he could provide security and shelter for the little-girl-emotions that were still crushed inside my heart.
But my strategy wasn’t working. Instead, I needed to cry out to God with my hurts and call on Him for help. And, I needed to take time to respond to what He was showing me.
Time to seek God for my security and hope by letting Him be the father I longed for. Time to grieve things I wanted from my father that I would never have. Time to invite God into my hurting places so He could heal my wounded emotions and set me free from my fear of never having a happy ending.
Finally, I needed to forgive my father and release my feelings of anger, abandonment, disappointment and hurt. I also needed to confess my sin of unrealistic expectations and let go of what I thought was my right to “happily-ever-after.”
It was a process that took time, prayer, courage and tears, but it was worth it. Over time I was able to let go of my past and my pain as I took hold of hope and healing. I was also able to accept JJ for who he was and trust God to make him the husband He knew I needed, instead of the one I wanted.
When we allow Jesus to search our hearts and bring His perspective into our pain, redemption comes. Whether it is the pain from our yesterdays or hurts from our todays, when we give Jesus time to pour His truth into our wounds, His love flows into our pain and makes us whole again.
Dear Lord, please give me the courage and help me take the time to walk through the process of letting You heal my hurts and restore my heart with hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Labor Day Rest
From the Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional written by Rachel Olsen. Enjoy.
“And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:3 (NIV)
In 1882 U.S. cabinet maker Peter McGuire introduced his idea for a new holiday saying, “Let us have a festive day during which a parade through the streets of the city would permit public tribute to American Industry.” A dozen years later President Cleveland signed a bill into law designating the first Monday in September “Labor Day.” For many Americans today is a day off from work, a chance to cook-out and hang-out in the lingering warm weather of summer.
A day off from labor, however, was not a new concept when McGuire suggested his holiday. The concept of a day of rest was first declared by the Lord in Genes is. In illustration, God rested the seventh day after creating the world and He deemed the day of rest holy (Gen. 2:2-3). He didn’t call it Labor Day – He called it the Sabbath.
Sabbath is a not a day of tribute to workers, it’s a day of tribute to their Maker. It’s a day to rest your body while renewing your mind by making the focus of the day your Maker and your relationship with Him. In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is the focal point of the week – not just a day of laundry or list-making to gear back up for the week ahead. The Jewish people spent three days preparing for Sabbath, and three days reflecting on what they had learned or encountered of God during the Sabbath. They were a Sabbath-focused people, and therefore a God-focused people.
Keri Wyatt Kent, author of Breathe, writes, “This creates a rhythm of life that puts our focus not on our stuff or our schedule but on the opportunity to meet with God.” Kent reveals:
“We are created in the image of God, and he modeled for us a way of life that makes sense for how we are created. Here’s how to dance the dance of life, he said: work, be creative, use your imagination, throw yourself into it, whether you are washing dishes, reading to your kids and running a household, or trading stocks, reading corporate reports, and running a business. …At the end of each day, stop. Take a rest, eat a good meal, get enough sleep, and refresh yourself. Take time to think about your day, to notice where God was in it and where you were blessed, and to say, “It’s good.” Then go back at it the next day. And after six days, take a whole day off. And say, “It’s really good.” Spend a whole day just pausing, just reflecting on how really good it is, and then start the dance again, at a sustainable pace.”
That sounds really good to me. Whether you are here with me in the United States today, or someplace else on God’s green earth, may this Labor Day mark the day that you and I decide to rest and become God-focused people.
Dear Lord, I want to rest in You. Show me how to live this way. Meet me there in my time of contemplation, reflection, and worship. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
There IS Hope…
A must read on this Easter Sunday.
———————————————-
Victory is on the Other Side of Failure
by Glynnis Whitwer
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.’” Matthew 28:5-6a (NIV)
Told by a teacher he was too stupid to learn: Thomas Edison
Fired from his job at a newspaper because he didn’t have good ideas: Walt Disney
A music teacher told him he had no hope as a composer: Beethoven
Falsely accused, arrested, killed: Jesus Christ
The disciples of Jesus must have been shattered that Friday. For three years they followed the man from Nazareth. They watched Him heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and even raise people from the dead. When Jesus said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness ” (John 12:46, NAS), they got it. Darkness enveloped the hearts of their countrymen. They needed a “Light.”
Twelve ordinary men abandoned everything to follow Jesus: jobs, family, and homes. Not with regret, but with hope. Hope for the promise Jesus offered. Look where it got them that Friday. Good Friday, we call it now. But it was anything but good to them. Jesus was dead – they’d witnessed the crucifixion. Only 11 now, they must have gathered that night after scattering throughout the city. Other followers joined them to mourn the death of the man they loved, and the death of the hope He offered.
On Saturday, they still gathered. No one left – though they could have. They could have packed up their things and put this failed adventure behind them. Back to fishing, back to family, back to normal. But no one left. In spite of what appeared to be complete failure of this new kingdom, everyone stayed. Faithful.
Saturday inched forward to noon, dusk, and then evening. The beauty of the night sky didn’t ease their pain. Perhaps they reminisced some. In hindsight, Jesus wasn’t really what they were expecting. When the prophets of old foretold a king would come to rescue them, they figured it would be someone imposing, with power, maybe with chariots to whip their enemies into submission. Some took longer than others to readjust their expectations. But when God opened their eyes to the beauty of His plan, they bought into it with their lives.
I’m sure troubled thoughts stole their sleep that Saturday night. Finally, in complete exhaustion their tired bodies overtook their worried minds. Sunday morning dawned. I imagine some woke up hoping it was all a bad dream. Then reality settled in, like heavy summer storm clouds. Jesus was still dead.
Two women got ready first and went to the tomb. Expecting to find the body of their beloved Savior, God treated them instead to a display of His power. With a violent earthquake shaki ng the ground, an angel of the Lord came from heaven, rolled back the stone covering the tomb and sat down on the rock. Hello!
The angel looked at the women, and spoke words that transformed them from hopeless to hope-filled: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee” (Matthew 28:5-7a, NIV).
Can you even imagine the celebration? It had only looked like failure. Instead, it was glorious victory! Hope wasn’t dead. Jesus was alive! The disciples learned a lesson they would never forget: When God is involved, things aren’t always what they seem.
Today we see problems and failures with the same eyes as the disciples. Even knowing that God is able to do things beyond what we can imagine, when we look at a “failure,” we often only see an ending. God, however, sees an opportunity for a new beginning. As we celebrate Easter, may that truth nestle itself into our heart. With God all things are possible. He is risen!
Dear Lord, my heart is filled with thanksgiving and praise for You. How can I begin to thank You for sending Jesus, and for His sacrifice for me? Thank You also for the lesson that nothing is too big for You. Help me remember that truth when I’m facing what looks like failure. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
This devotion is adapted from a chapter on helping your children deal with failure in Glynnis’ book,When Your Child is Hurting
Visit Glynnis’ blog – Welcome Home…Where Your Heart Longs to be!
The Character of God: Understanding His Heart for Us by Brian T. Anderson & Glynnis Whitwer
For more on the love of Christ, read The Most Beautiful Scars
Application Steps:
Have you had any “failures” in your life? Pick one that sticks out to you. Identify how God used that situation to open another door in your life, or redirect your path to something better. Then thank Him for His goodness.
Reflections:
From God’s perspective, what is true failure?
When you have failed in the past, what have people done or said that was most helpful to you at that time?
Power Verses:
Luke 18:27, “Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with men is possible with God.’” (NIV)
Isaiah 40:31, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV)
Little Decisions Make a Big Difference
Today’s blog post is actually the Proverbs 31 Ministries Devotional of the day. I thought it was really good and worth sharing. If you are interested in subscribing to their devotionals, visit them at Proverbs 31 Ministries.
27 Jan 2010
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise ….” Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)
Do you ever get tired of making decisions? I do. Every day, decisions line up for my attention. I decide what I’m going to do, how I’ll spend my money, and what I’m going to say. Conversely, I make decisions about what I am NOT going to do, spend or say.
One of the biggest challenges I face right now has to do with what I eat. You see, I’m on Weight Watchers. For the past 18 years, I’ve battled to be at a healthy weight. Coincidentally, my oldest child is 18. I’m certainly not blaming him…but, I’m just saying…
The first week on the program I recorded a respectable loss of 1.5 pounds. The second week on the program, I lost nothing. I was shocked. It seemed I had exercised a nd sacrificed more that week than ever. But the scale told the truth.
The kind lady at the reception desk tried to help me think it through. “Maybe you aren’t eating enough,” she said. No, that wasn’t the problem. “Are you drinking enough water?” she asked. Yes; that wasn’t the problem either.
Then it hit me. The problem wasn’t what I was eating when I sat down for a meal, it was all the bites that led up to that meal. It was the French fry before dinner, and the bite of casserole as I put away the leftovers after dinner. It was the nibble of my son’s double cheeseburger, and the extra scoop of dip with my carrots. No, it wasn’t the big decisions that hurt my weight loss; it was all the little decisions.
Unfortunately, I had minimized in my mind the potential damage of all those little bites. Yet they added up to derail me from my goal of losing weight that week. The next week I took control of those BLTs (bites, licks, tastes and sips) and had a ni ce loss.
As I’ve pondered this reality, I’ve applied it to other areas of my life. I easily minimize the damage of daily unwise decisions. They aren’t sin issues, so I can dismiss them as unimportant. However, when added up, they have a big impact on achieving some of my personal goals. For example, when I make a decision to not read my Bible for one day, there’s no noticeable impact. But when I neglect this important part of my spiritual growth repeatedly, I find myself lacking in godly wisdom and discernment.
If you find yourself on a plateau in a certain area of your life, perhaps this truth can apply to you as well. You may be making all the right big decisions, but the little ones are having a cumulative negative impact on you.
Not only that, but I believe God desires to do amazing things through us, and is continually testing us to see if we can handle bigger responsibilities. It’s in the arena of little responsibilities that our true dependability is revealed. The truth is those little decisions that seem minor, and inconsequential, really do matter. They matter to me as I pursue personal goals, and they matter to God.
My challenge today is to make every decision count. I ask myself, “Is this decision going to get me closer to my goal, or further away from it?” “Is this decision going to show God I can be trusted with the little things?”
Sometimes I ask this question every hour. Which is why I ate steamed vegetables for dinner, and my family had overstuffed burritos. (Not that it’s Thursday night and I’m weighing in Friday morning or anything.)
Dear Lord, thank You for caring about every detail of my life. I know You have placed goals and dreams in my heart that will take diligence to carry out. Help me to look to You when faced with a decision, and I pray for Your wisdom as I make the right choice. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Identify one big goal you have for your life. Name one helpful “little” decision you can make that will help you achieve that goal.
Reflections:
What are some examples of little decisions we make every day that can impact us positively over time?
Have you ever made a series of innocent choices that led you down the wrong path? What did you learn from that experience?
Power Verses:
Ephesians 5:8-10, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” (NIV)
Colossians 1:10-11, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…” (NIV)
© 2010 by Glynnis Whitwer. All rights reserved.
Shelter from the Storms
As my facebook friends have already been informed, I’m a bit under the weather today. And for my lady readers, it’s the type of under the weather that guys can’t possibly understand. Enough said I hope 
So for that reason, today’s blog is not written by me. It’s a daily devotional I get from
Shelter from the Storms
11 Sep 2009
Melanie Chitwood
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8 (NAS)
The thunder and lightning of a powerful storm rattled our house last night. As rain slashed against the windows and lightning lit up the dark sky, I woke up just long enough to make room for my youngest son and yellow lab to join me and my husband in bed. I remember thinking with surprise that I didn’t even know it was going to storm.
What a picture of my life lately. It’s been a year of unexpected rain. Some just drizzles, but others, like the storm hitting me most recently, have rattled windows with wave after wave of thunder and bursts of lightning.
What about you? Is there stormy weather in your life right now? Where are you finding shelter from the storms?
My friends and family have been a shelter for me this year, just like my family was last night as we all huddled together in bed. They’ve encouraged and supported me. And most importantly, they’ve pointed me to the strongest shelter from the storms, my Heavenly Father.
As I’ve turned to Scripture this week, I’m amazed at the number of times it reminds us God is our shelter. God knows that we will encounter hard times and His Word reminds us that the strongest and safest shelter is God Himself.
As always we have a choice: get drenched in the rain or seek shelter. You see, the storms of life can cause us to run toward God, but just as easily they can cause us to turn away. A whole range of emotions can leave us standing in the rain to get drenched: bitterness, anger, confusion, helplessness, or hopelessness. If you can relate to these emotions, you might feel badly for having these emotions, but don’t let these feelings keep you from God.
Read the Psalms and you’ll see that God can handle every emotion. Negative emotions are not a reason to turn away from God. They’re the very reason to turn to Him, desperately wanting the kind of faith and strength only God can provide.
Keep turning to God, continue to tell Him in prayer how you feel, and leave your emotions with Him. As you do, you’ll start to feel His nearness, His hope, His promise, and His comfort. If you find yourself returning to feelings of fear or hopelessness, just go back to God. Be honest in your prayers. Acknowledge that you’re having a hard time, but that you want to trust Him in your circumstances. Know that He loves you and will consistently and constantly be your shelter from the storms.
Dear Lord, “Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings” (Psalm 61:1-4, NAS). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Find comfort as you read Psalm 61, 62 and 91 today. Write out and display in a prominent place in your house a particular verse that helps you keep your eyes on God.
Reflections:
Have you been turning away from God? Can you turn back to Him today? He is waiting for you with open arms and a loving heart. He loves you and wants to be your strength and comfort in the storm you’re facing.
Power Verses:
2 Chronicles 20:12, “… For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (NAS)
Psalm 91:1-2, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” (NLT)
My name is Jessica and I'm a proverb31girl. These are my thoughts on living a proverb31 girl life. I invite you to join me on this journey!Subscribe
