As I look back on my life there are a number of things that I picked up from my parents. These things do not always come readily to mind but when I sit and think through my life, I mean really wonder the corridors of my past, I find just how many times my parents impacted me.
For instance, I give a great deal of credit to my mother for my spiritual growth. There was a time when I was, oh, around seven years old. My mother was cooking supper and I was in the kitchen with her. I do not recall the reason, perhaps she just sensed an opportunity to share some teaching about God, but whatever the reason, she told me about the Holy Spirit and that when we quieted our hearts we could hear what He had to say to us. I then, being wise beyond my years, said one profound thing, "SHHH!" That did not go over well at all! The second lesson that day was not to make fun of the things of God. Whatever God had in mind that day, I must have learned something because it is still with me to this day.
One other thing that I learned was something my dad taught me though I bet he never knew it, and that was a desire for counseling others. My dad was the family councilor for his side of the family. No, he was not a professional nor did he receive payment for his services but I can not even begin to guess how many times he was on the phone with a cousin or one of his siblings doling out advice. Everyone knew to call "Uncle Bob" whenever there was a problem. I'm still amazed to this day. He seemed to have some sort of ability to empathize with people because they always came back for more.
I find this fascinating and God has opened in my heart a desire to know people better, to better love them. I am a slow learner but I am learning.
I love to watch people and I always wonder what their thinking. What are they going through? What is hidden behind the outer facade? I know in my life there is a whole complex me on the backside of the exterior. This is not to say that I am a completely different person on the inside but there are most certainly things I do not willingly share with the world around me which forces me, at times, to put up a front. This is most helpful to understand this about myself because most people live their lives in a similar fashion so I can be sympathetic toward their feelings even if I don't have any specifics of what they are in the middle of at the time. Human nature fascinates me!
God's word is the ultimate authority on the human condition. The more I understand Him the more love I have for others. Though God's word does not endow us with the ability to read minds or communicate telepathically it does give us enough insight into the human heart that we do gain a measure of discernment because deep down we have the same nature. This does not happen because we want it to but because we take the time to get into God's word, study what it says and by faith apply it to our lives.
I am learning. I am not "there"; I have not "arrived" but I see a desire to work with people and help them to see the truth that can set them free. No, I am not an active evangelist but more and more I see that only in the truth of God can we find true peace and freedom that we desire.
I am reading a wonderful book at the moment called, "When People are Big and God is Small", by Edward T. Welch.
In a nut shell, Mr. Welch is saying that we have trouble with self-esteem, peer pressure, codependency, etc. because we try to fill the emptiness we feel inside with other's opinions, approval, and overall thoughts of us. We are so obsessed with gaining others' approval that we make them our gods and what they think of us becomes our driving force and we become enslaved to others. People become big in our lives and we forget that they are created beings and not the Creator. We fall into worshipping the idol of others. We need to step back and realize that what really counts, what really matters is what god thinks of us. Not that we can win His favor by what we do but when we turn our lives to Him in trust, faith He is pleased knowing that He is our refuge and strength. Is this simple? Not on your life! It takes daily discipline and trust. This is beyond what I fully comprehend or at least what I am able to communicate properly, but our esteem needs to come from God. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us so that we would not have to pay the price for our foolishness. He has proven just how much we are worth by paying the price we could never pay even though we were enemies in His sight. What more do we need to know to understand how precious we really are?
Maybe you are not the best looking, or the smartest or most talented but if you are trusting God, if you have had your eyes opened to the fact that you are very special in God's sight, this is freedom. This is true esteem. This is peace in the face of worldly hardships.
No, I am not a real councilor but if God can use me in some way to encourage someone else, I am willing. The ultimate hope is that these people should see Jesus and not me. This, however, is a different subject for a later post.
This is a lot to chew on but learning is happening, if not for you certainly for me. Please feel free to add to my learning by contacting me with questions or comments. I have a lot of learning to do but I am ready for the challenge! For God's glory!
Bye!
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