Tuesday, February 17, 2009

"Overcoming"

There is something unique about us and that is how easily wrapped up we become in us. When we are in difficulties or pain, the world seems to revolve around...us! If the difficulty is extreme, then there is little time to think about others for anything. It is about how we hurt or how tired things make us. We look for sympathy by making statements to get people's attention. Little effort is spent toward the Lord and our mind set does not reach to Him for the true answers. It's just about how I feel or the demands that I am going through. What's more amazing, we think no one understands because they have never been through all this! More self consumption!!
I think of David in his writing Psalm 8. I can almost visualize him, laying on the ground, looking up into the heavens above and the vast array of stars. Then he speaks, "What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" (Psa. 8:4) Why would God give any thought to us puny, small people that have sinned and fallen short, beset with weaknesses and sometimes so selfish and self centered? The great and majestic, eternal Father, with power and might that upholds all things by the word of His power...and He considers little us! The power of God and greatness of God is bent on helping us make it and the death of His Son is the proof. Why would He do such? Especially when we put so little effort at times toward Him? And God comes in the form of man, on our level, in our world of sin and death and lives among us. It comes in little glimpses...it's night and the disciples are traveling to the other side of the huge lake and Jesus walks on water. (Matt. 14) They are frightened and Jesus speaks to give them courage. Boldly Peter asks permission to walk toward Jesus and Jesus says, "Come!" Peter walked on water...until one thing happened. He allowed his circumstance and what he saw to consume his mind and heart. He stopped looking to Jesus and looked at what he was going through. He failed! He began to sink and cried out to the one who was able to save him. Peter found himself in a worse condition than when he left the boat just by simply taking his eyes off Jesus! He was overcome by his own circumstances. Yet we find Jesus immediately reaching to save him but only because Peter looked to Him. "What is man that you would take thought of him...?"
There we have it. When we go through difficulties, instead of feeling sorry for ourselves or looking for sympathy from others, what if we would set our minds on things above and look to Jesus? Would we find strength beyond ourselves? Jesus gave Peter the power to go beyond himself. What about us? "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..." (Heb. 12:2) Maybe we need to learn something here about overcoming in our personal struggles? The Lord does not cater to our whims and ways. He takes thought of us, realizing our weaknesses but we must make a proper and right move. It takes a sincere faith to do that. Faithless people wallow in themselves.

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