No Brainer!

I sat down to journal my cares and stresses away this morning. I was looking forward to a good old fashioned pity party. I was hoping to arrouse God’s compassion toward me and to hear Him say “there, there… you don’t deserve all this difficulty. I’m going to wave my magic wand and fix this all up for you”. I was in search of clarity and some semblance of peace and possibly even some small scale healing of some sort, when this thought hit me square in the middle of my victim mentality. I am not a victim. I am not at the mercy of my circumstances. I’m not at the mercy of my failures either. God still has a plan for me and it’s not to harm me, it’s to prosper me. To give me a future and a hope.

I started out drafting Psalm 151 and realized this prayer would be much more like Lamentations 6. I set out to unload my heartbroken story of woe to God and the more pages I filled the more I was aware of a thought that was gaining momentum and volume. I was reminded that I had a free will. This free will was a gift that I could use however I chose to. I could use it to destroy myself or I could use it to invite God into the middle of my mess.

Why would I use this gift to undermine myself? Why would I use it to discourage myself? Why would I use it to feel sorry for myself? Would these mindsets solve or change any of my problems into victories? A resounding no. Did I enjoy wasting my time in time consuming thoughts that would bury me alive? Another resounding no!

I have a choice. I get to choose how I respond to every circumstance that crosses my path. I get to choose my thoughts about these circumstances. Thus, I get to choose what I am going to do about it. I love our pastor’s closing words at the end of every sermon, What is God speaking to you about? And what are you going to do about it? Such empowering, liberating, thought provoking words.

I don’t ‘have’ to choose, I ‘get’ to choose. Even though my theology and personal philosophy is that I want God in control of my life, there is still a certain degree of control I have over myself. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Self-control by its very definition suggests that I control myself. I control my thoughts which in turn control my responses and actions. My choice.

What will I choose this day? I am not at the mercy of my circumstances. Or my feelings, for that matter. I can override destructive feelings and thoughts by developing self control. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Sit here in the middle of my mess and feel sorry for myself? Wasting valuable days and not getting anywhere? OR make the choice to remember who I am in Christ and realize my hopes and dreams empowered by God’s wisdom and peace? No brainer.