IT'S an old truth, but still, true none the less. That when you are not concentrating on yourself,you can rise above your circumstances,ignore difficulties, such as pain, and get more done. This particularly true if you are excited about what you are doing. I've known that for a long time, but sometimes we have a tendency to forget it,and let things get us down. This is frequently brought back to my mind, when I hear Jimmy preaching, and he mentions the part in Genesis where Adam and Eve fell from grace, and lost" God-consciousness", and gained "self-consciousness." Now, you may doubt the veracity of that statement, but given full consideration, it makes perfect sense. Never are we more miserable than when we are self-conscious. Our palms go clammy,our faces sweat,and we can't seem to make an intelligent response to a simple question, when we feel put on the spot. Likewise, in a marriage, the most miserable people are the ones who are so focused on the big "I", that they can't seem to be giving to their partner. The happiest marriages are the ones where each partner is putting forth all their efforts to please their spouse, and not being all concerned about what they are doing for them! Janet Jackson's song, "What have you done for me lately?" is a perfect example of the kind of thinking I am talking about. Now, where I know she didn't start the mind-set, still, I have seen more of this attitude in the public eye since that song came out. In fact, it is far more prevalent now than ever before. It was a very popular, catchy tune, and probably made a number of women begin to think along those lines, to the point that what might have been a very fulfilling relationship, change. It's too bad, too, because always you are going to find yourself unhappy with your circumstances when you take your eyes off your spouse, or your Lord, and put them on yourself. Always. When we turn "we" into "I" the dynamics of the relationship changes. "We" work together for the common good, and the eyes on the prize moves us forwards, from the salad days of a relationship to the busy, working hard on home and family, and finally to the comfortable stage, when we can once again spend time together just relaxing and having fun. The only difference between a married couples relationship and your relationship with the Lord in this analogy, is that for the most part, when you are working on your relationship with your spouse, there will definitely be times when you might catch yourself feeling as though you are putting more into it than he or she is. Yet, this is a temporary bit of selfishness,and is easily overcome by putting your eyes back on your focal point. But with the Lord, as long as you keep your eyes on the Lord,and what he did at Calvary, you will never be disenchanted, never feel as though he doesn't love you anymore, or that he pays more attention to someone else than he does to you! Time and again, I have had the truth brought home to me that I cannot outgive God! No matter how hard I try, I cannot possibly do more for him than he has done, or does do for me! Whether it is tithing, or talking to someone who needs to hear about the Lord, or praying with someone, or writing about God, or studying the Bible,while I am involved in it, hours can go past my pill time, or I can miss going to bed long after I am yawning, I may be cognizant of my discomfort, or my weariness, but I can ignore it, and go on. But the instant I stop and pay attention to it, I will fall asleep, or run for the pills!
OUI?
Comments