God helps us in our messiness

  No doubt we all have things we are not particularly good at or excelling in.  We all have sin issues, bad habits and ways in which we need to grow.  I am 41 years old.  I am married to a pastor and I have eight kids that I homeschool.  If I shared with you all of the ways in which I struggle on a daily basis and come to the end of myself, it would fill volumes.  I desperately need Christ.  I need his grace.  I need him powerfully working in me, helping me and giving me strength as I cling to him. 

  But with that said, I am not the same woman I was 20, 10 or even 5 years ago.  I have had victory over sin in my life as I have looked into the “mirror” of God’s Word (James 1:22-25…sometimes with feeble efforts), seen my desperate need for change, and trusted God for the grace and strength I needed to obey what he says.  That is the Christian life.  

  Today I cried over things I wish were different.  There are always things we want to overcome in this life.  For me, right now I’m basically not measuring up to my own expectations that I have placed upon myself. And I’m not even comparing myself to anyone on Facebook.  This is definitely something to pray through because, in reality, there may be (and probably are!) some things that I need to make to effort to change by God’s grace.  But more often than not I think we are too hard on ourselves.  But still, we need to pray to God about it.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV).  

  I really want to encourage you to love your sisters in Christ.  I don’t know your heart but I know my own tendencies when I think along the lines of what you shared and I know the temptations.  Guard against resentment and bitterness and instead rejoice that with God’s help they have managed to learn a thing or two.  I know I have to work at this and I often have to get my attitude right.  I have to learn to rejoice when others are doing well and even when they are better at something than I am.  You could try reaching out and asking one of them to teach you about something they are skilled in and you’d like to learn more about.  God wants us to have those kinds of mentoring relationships (Titus 2:3-5)!  

  We can’t fall into the trap of comparing our beginning to someone else’s middle.  Our goal in the body of Christ is to build one another up, speaking the truth in love so that we will all mature and become more and more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:13-15).  Remember that every woman has so much going on behind the scenes.  We have things we are working really hard at, struggling with, and crying our eyes out about.  For all of the victory over sin and skills I have acquired over the years there has been prayer backing it.  I have cried out to God to help me to be a wife and a mommy who honors him and brings him glory.  And over the years (thank God!) I have had a number of victories.  But I am still on this journey.  Yes, our lives can be so messy but God is faithfully working in us as we turn to him in everything, as we love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves.  

  God is willing and able to give us wisdom (James 1:5-7) and to change us as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2).  That means thinking according to God’s Word…which means we have to spend time reading it.  It’s one of the hardest habits to establish but never give up trying.  

  There is hope for our mess.  But it is definitely a process and God wants us to engage in that process.  We desperately need the nourishment of his Word.  Simply read it.  Don’t worry about being an expert theologian.  Theologians learn by reading.  Just read.  Read about Jesus in John.  Learn of him.  In time, your knowledge of the Savior will grow and so will you.  It takes a lifetime.  And it is worth every effort and struggle we often need to go through.  Turn to God in prayer with the concerns of your heart and with every struggle.  Be willing to go through the process and the hard work of change.  Praise the Lord for examples of godly, virtuous women he places in your life.

  But most of all learn from Christ.  He is the one we must ultimately look to.  And I know one thing he said about bread (it had nothing to do with making a good sourdough starter.  ;)  He said, ”Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4.  Let that be your focus and you will find hope, healing and grace for every need. 

(My comment on a Facebook thread)