A prayer of mine lately has been, "God I want more of you and less of me." Sometimes "me" gets in the way. It gets in the way of showing others the love of Jesus Christ. It gets in the way of showing grace to others when much grace has been given to me. "Me" gets in the way of wanting to fix others when I myself need fixin'. "Me" wants to bring to light what's been in the dark for so long. "Me" gets in the way when I have been wronged and want to let me flesh react instead of letting the man upstairs handle it. "Me" gets in the way when I see others prayers answered yet mine seem to be placed on hold. It gets in the way when I am tired. "Me" gets in the way so many times. Have you ever had the case of "too much me?"
Too much "me" can cause many problems in our life. Too much "me" never fixes anything. But, to get rid of the "me" we have to focus on the one we see every single day when we look in the mirror. Me. You. What would your mirror say if it could talk? What would it see if it saw beneath the surface? What would it say if it could reveal your heart?
Outwardly, we can cover up so much. On social media, we can pretend to be one person while the world believes it. But have you ever really been honest with yourself? What do others see? What do others hear? I don't mean gossip. I mean what do they hear when you speak? Do they hear bitterness and anger? Maybe they hear a little bit of jealousy. Maybe they "hear" a little too much about others.
So where do we begin? How can I change from the inside out? I don't want "me" to be seen or heard. I want love to be evident in my life. Love for everyone not just those I choose to love. Love for those that have wronged me. Love for those that I may not agree with. Love for my enemies. I want the love that's hard to give. It's hard to love those you feel aren't deserving of such. Love is a powerful gift. I wonder how this world would change if we all loved a little more.
Forgive. This one is huge. To become a better you, you must forgive. Forgive when wronged. Forgive when one hasn't asked to be forgiven. Forgiveness will free you more than you will ever know. For those that are holding onto unforgiveness, how is that working for you? It's toxic. It will consume you and rob you from living in total freedom. If you struggle with this one, ask God to help you truly love the person you need to forgive. Then ask Him to help you forgive them.
Judge not. Have you ever heard the verse, "judge not lest ye be judged?" Sometimes it's easy to judge others. Judge from a distance. Judge from what others say or do but never looking at our own lives. It's easy to point fingers. But it's not so easy to look at our own lives and work on them. Let's stop placing others under a microscope and start dissecting our own lives.
Give grace. Wow. I look back on the past several years of my life and see grace. Grace given in so many situations. I thank God for grace from Him and from others. We aren't perfect. We all make mistakes. Some mistakes may seem bigger than others. Some may "get away with more" but still offer grace.
I want to be a better "me" than I was yesterday. I want to build a better me every single day. I don't want others to see "Laurie Payne" but I want them to see someone who does the following: loves, forgives, doesn't judge and gives grace. I think by doing those few things, we would all be a little better. Don't you?
Too much "me" can cause many problems in our life. Too much "me" never fixes anything. But, to get rid of the "me" we have to focus on the one we see every single day when we look in the mirror. Me. You. What would your mirror say if it could talk? What would it see if it saw beneath the surface? What would it say if it could reveal your heart?
Outwardly, we can cover up so much. On social media, we can pretend to be one person while the world believes it. But have you ever really been honest with yourself? What do others see? What do others hear? I don't mean gossip. I mean what do they hear when you speak? Do they hear bitterness and anger? Maybe they hear a little bit of jealousy. Maybe they "hear" a little too much about others.
So where do we begin? How can I change from the inside out? I don't want "me" to be seen or heard. I want love to be evident in my life. Love for everyone not just those I choose to love. Love for those that have wronged me. Love for those that I may not agree with. Love for my enemies. I want the love that's hard to give. It's hard to love those you feel aren't deserving of such. Love is a powerful gift. I wonder how this world would change if we all loved a little more.
Forgive. This one is huge. To become a better you, you must forgive. Forgive when wronged. Forgive when one hasn't asked to be forgiven. Forgiveness will free you more than you will ever know. For those that are holding onto unforgiveness, how is that working for you? It's toxic. It will consume you and rob you from living in total freedom. If you struggle with this one, ask God to help you truly love the person you need to forgive. Then ask Him to help you forgive them.
Judge not. Have you ever heard the verse, "judge not lest ye be judged?" Sometimes it's easy to judge others. Judge from a distance. Judge from what others say or do but never looking at our own lives. It's easy to point fingers. But it's not so easy to look at our own lives and work on them. Let's stop placing others under a microscope and start dissecting our own lives.
Give grace. Wow. I look back on the past several years of my life and see grace. Grace given in so many situations. I thank God for grace from Him and from others. We aren't perfect. We all make mistakes. Some mistakes may seem bigger than others. Some may "get away with more" but still offer grace.
I want to be a better "me" than I was yesterday. I want to build a better me every single day. I don't want others to see "Laurie Payne" but I want them to see someone who does the following: loves, forgives, doesn't judge and gives grace. I think by doing those few things, we would all be a little better. Don't you?
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