Drops in the Ocean

I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw this quote, ‘Losing weight is hard.  Being overweight is hard.  Choose your hard.’  This resonated with me because it fits for so many parts of my life. I choose what feels easier, but the consequences of my decisions can make my life harder.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide.” I don’t always like who I am deciding to be.  Here are 10 hard things I choose between in my own life that determine the type of person I will be:

1. Forgive completely or feel bitter and miserable.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (ERV)-Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil.  Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.

2. Choose happiness or choose unhappiness.

Psalm 94:19 ( NIV)-When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

“The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy it has found in God. In this experience the Holy Spirit is active, and has taught us in the flash of a moment the deep secret of joy. You will have as much joy and laughter in life as you have faith in God.”  ― Martin Luther

3.Think the best of others or think the worst of them.

Ephesians 4:2-3 (ERV)-Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue as you are, letting peace hold you together.

4. Focus on myself less or focus on myself so much I feel everyone’s bad mood is my fault and every comment is about me too.

John 3:30 ESV He must increase, but I must decrease.”

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Rick Warren

5. Share God’s love with others or keep God’s love to myself.

Colossians 3:13-15 (NIV)-Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

6. Dare to change or stay the same.

Isaiah 43:19  (ERV)-because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land.

7.Focus on making others feel noticed or dwell on thoughts of being overlooked and unappreciated.
Philippians 2:3 MSG:If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

8. Turn to God throughout each day or turn to God only when I’m desperate.

Lamentations 3:22-23(NIV)Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.

9. Believe God loves me as I am or think God would love me more if I was a better person.

Ephesians 3:16-18 (NIV)-I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

10.  Know my worth comes from God or strive constantly to earn my worth.

Ephesians 2:4-7(CEB)-However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus.

“God wants us to pray, and he wants to hear our prayers—not because we are worthy, but because he is merciful.” ― Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional
Remembering my choices are what determine the type of person I will be and knowing the easier choice isn't often right are both really important.  I won’t always choose what is right, but accepting His love will make it easier.  I also know I can ask for forgiveness when I choose the wrong hard.
If you wanna know
How far my love can go
Just how deep, just how wide
If you wanna see
How much you mean to me
Look at my hands, look at my side
If you could count the times I'd say you are forgiven
It's more than the drops in the ocean
The drops in the ocean








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Little By Little

Psalm 27:14 (NIV)   Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. When I want something, I want it quickly.  It’s why I love Amazon Prime. I find what I want, make a few clicks, and it’s delivered to my front porch within a few days.    My husband thinks it’s too quick and easy and a look into our pantry could prove him right. But despite the veggie spiralizer and some other unused items cluttering our shelves, I love this amazing service. But waiting for the things we really long for often takes much longer,  like when we are praying for our circumstances to change.  Sometimes the waiting hurts and leaves us questioning why.   Exodus 23 is a reminder that God’s ways and timing are better than our own.  God told Israel he would help them take back the land he had promised by sending His great power before them to force their enemies away.  He explained that this would happen slowly because  it was necessary for the process to happen just a little at
Read more

God's power

2 Peter 1:3-4(CEV) We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us . Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world. “We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole aim of our lives.” I don’t have a problem with alcohol,  yet this principle from AA applies to me because for years I was driven more by my own desires than trying to please God. I was a Christian and member of a church, but I was often in pursuit of something or someone to find happiness.    I believed in God, but it took attending a new church for me to be made new in my heart and in my thinking.( Ephesians 4:23)  This allowed the Spirit freedom to work within me so God’s nature could become part of me.   I felt my spirit awake with a new hope tha
Read more

God wants you to be holy

“I want a purity ring.” Hearing you say these words made me so happy.  Being pure is something to be proud of and I’m grateful that you know it.  I didn’t know it at your age. I was pure, but my friend sometimes teased me about it.  One of my friends joked about the” V” on my forehead, but I didn’t want to be like my friends who went all the way with guys who didn’t seem to care about them.   Over the next few years, not all of my decision were perfect, but still I waited. My mom was very open; more than I was comfortable with.  I remember visiting her at the bar where she worked one afternoon.  She was talking with some customers and said, “I used to have tits, but I gave them to her,” and nodded her head my way.   I felt time stop and wanted to crawl into a hole.  I was uncomfortable in my changing body and hated when my mom pointed out anything about it.  She often joked about sex with her friends and sisters. This made me more self-conscious, private, and never ope
Read more