Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Abundance

Lately I have been reflecting on His abundance.  In my heart I know that His love is overflowing. But I often get stuck in my head being consumed by little details.  When I stop and think logically, I know that He is more powerful than all the details that I worry about. However, my default thought pattern is not to focus on His omnipotence but take care of all the minor things that are on my mind.

This weekend we sang the Sunday School classic "His Banner Over Me is Love."  As I was singing the chorus, I was struck by the discrepancy between the lyrics and my thought pattern.  I know that He covers me with His banner of love and prepares a lavish banquet for me.  I realized that I tend to operate under the impression that I have been given a humble meal of peanut butter and jelly, not a banquet in my honor. 

The image that correctly reflects His all consuming love and provision for me is the "Be Our Guest" scene from Beauty and the Beast.

 I like this image because in the scene Belle is overwhelmed with all of the entertainment to watch, the delectable food to consume, and the company of new friends.  She was under stimulation overload. That is what I should feel when I think of His abundance.  When I think about His love there is too much to focus on at one time.  I am constantly discovering new aspects of His character.  I want to become a person who focuses on my provision, not my problems.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Self-Control

This week I have been listening to a Graham Cooke teaching about the Fruit of the Spirit. One particular quote jumped out at me.  Graham defines self-control as "believing the best about someone." I had never heard self-control defined that way.  Typically I would describe self-control as restraining my actions or the things I would say out loud.  Never before had I considered self-control as a check on my thoughts, feelings, or heart attitude. 

I find this definition simple but very powerful. It is not about external actions. It is about the posture of our heart.  G-d is equally as concerned with the thoughts of my heart and my internal attitude as He is about my actions towards other people.  Galatians 5:22-23 lists the attributes of the Spirit and the majority of them have to do with the posture of our hearts.  It is equally exciting and challenging to know that He is constantly wanting us to become more like Him in very thought and deed.

This quote has inspired me to be more in control of my thoughts.  Internally I need to believe the best about each person in my life.  I need to recognize the good qualities in each person, even if there is something challenging in our relationship at the moment.  I hope this new approach in my thinking will help me become a better person, friend, and leader.