I'm kind of in one of those places.
It isn't anything that has to do directly with me. But there are burdens that I am aware of... things that friends are experiencing... hurts that friends are facing... and sometimes it leaves me sitting back and introspecting on life and God and purpose.
My faith is strong.
Well, my faith in God is strong. My faith in people often wavers.
Do you take sides? Do you trust your gut? Do you even have to actually know?
Do you reach out to one hurt party? Do you reach out to the other hurt party? Do you reach out to the innocent bystanders who could be damaged?
Or do you stop and realize... none of that matters.
That's where I am. With all of it.
And when I stop and realize that none of it matters for me personally, my head and heart become clear. God will handle the big stuff. These troubles my friends face- and it's quite the spectrum of hardships that have cropped up- aren't troubles for me to fix and aren't opportunities for me to judge and aren't about my involvement in knowing whatever about whoever.
My purpose is to listen when someone needs an open and accepting ear. My purpose is to support and pray and love to the best of my ability. My purpose is to be open to the opportunity to guide if needed. My purpose is to be available to help in any way I am called to help.
I guess what it boils down to is focus. When my focus remains on God, things fall into place and make sense. Even the hard things are easier to bear or fight through. When my focus is on trials and humanity and problems and hardships, it becomes a lot more difficult to see God through all the confusion.
Colossians 3:2
The Message (MSG)
1-2 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
3 comments:
That is a great message to be reminded of. There's a hilarious snarky blog I've recently started reading--Fetch My Flying Monkeys--that's full of attitude and profanity (but in a funny way, really!) Anyway, I was reading through her old posts and found out she had a death experience during surgery several years ago. Her memories are of entering a state of inexpressible joy, and her "takeaway" was that none of the stuff we worry about day-to-day matters at all. Once you get to "the end," it all drops away into meaninglessness. I think about that insight almost every day.
God works in mysterious ways, indeed!
Love the verse. :)
Perspective is everything; I'm glad you have the right one.
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