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When you see ugliness in yourself, you can either do your best to hide and mask it (even from yourself) or you can bring it into the light (and breathe a sigh of relief).
“Fine words hiding shabby thoughts; a friendly face masking a cold heart; . . . these I confess. . . .” John Baillie
“I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, ‘I will confess. . . .’ Then You lifted and carried away the guilt. . . .” Psalm 32:5
If God were harsh and demanding and everywhere, it would make sense to try to forget His presence. If He were compassionate and comforting and everywhere, it would make sense (always and everywhere) to practice remembering.
“God is here. There is no place, there can be no place, where He is not.” A. W. Tozer
“[T]he Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. . . .” 2 Corinthians 1:3
When things seem so dark that you’re tempted to lose heart, the smallest choice to lean and rely on your God instead is like capturing a beachhead.
“[T]he little decisions you and I make every day are of . . . infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of.” C. S. Lewis
“Who among you . . . walks in darkness and has no light? Let him . . . (choose to) lean and rely on his God.” Isaiah 50:10 (parenthetical added)
Sometimes life is like being caught in the surf, wave after disorienting wave. That’s the hardest and most important time to remember what is true (no matter how untrue it feels when you’re under water).
“Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.” Oswald Chambers
“Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble or anguish. . . ?” Romans 8:35
When you’re in the habit of crawling around under the weight of worries, getting into the habit of putting them down takes practice.
“Most people take their burdens to Him, but they bring them away with them again. . . . I leave [mine]. . . . If [a] worry comes back, I take it to Him again; and I do this over and over, until at last I . . . am at perfect rest.” Hannah Whitall Smith
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you and support you and nourish you.” Isaiah 55:22
Yesterday, I saw a man with patient eyes leaning on his walker in the bakery section of the grocery, waiting. He asked me in halting words to get him two apple-filled donuts and one glazed, and then he slowly thanked me and very slowly lifted his hand to take the bag. He probably never forgets that he needs outside help.
Lord, You say that I can do nothing apart from You, which means that I always need outside help. Please don’t let me forget that today. From John 15:5
Self-sufficient: needing no outside help
