"But I don't want to"
Those are all too familiar words in this house of preschoolers, said in a classic whiny tone, feet dragging on the ground, mouth gaping open and pointed downward in a frown, grumpy tears about to stream...
And to tell you the truth, sometimes I don't want to either. I've thought about this topic a lot. How so often our emotions lead us (me). I am so tempted to just go with the flow of "but i don't want to's". I don't want to reject the lies that I'm not pretty today. I don't want to follow through with that consequence. I don't want to be thankful for the mess. I don't want to love that person who is hard to love. I don't want to...
It is so tempting to step off the foundation of truth, the firm foundation, into the rocky soil of lies. It seems like it might be a better choice sometimes. It feels right to just wallow in it. But God doesn't ask us to do what feels right. He wants us to do what IS right. To believe that which IS truth.
When I'm just not feelin' it, I know I need to acknowledge those feelings. They are real. They are there. In my humanity, I will never stop feeling stuff. But then I need to lay it all at His feet, and replace the lies with truth. Stop standing on the feeling of "but i don't want to"...
I don't want to reject the lies that I'm not pretty (HE says I am wonderfully made...for a good purpose. HE thinks I am lovely~Psalm 139:14, Ps. 84:1). I don't want to follow through (HE tells me to be consistent...to train them up~Prov. 22:6). I don't want to be thankful (HE says to be thankful in ALL circumstances~1Thes. 5:18). I don't want to love that person (HE tells me that the greatest command is to love one another~John 15:17).
Replacing lies with truth. God's True Word. We all have days when we're not feeling like it. But by his grace we can choose to stand on that firm foundation. Only by his grace.
Been meditating a lot on "feelings", too as we have traveled through the book of Ruth again and I pulled out our summer study.n It really is the crux of our lives in these human bodies.
ReplyDeleteCarter just summed it up last night when he cried out in his frustration, "But I don't like when you make me do something I don't want to do! I just want to do what I want to do all the time. When you do that it makes me cry and get angry."
And when you boil it all down and remove the facade- that is everyone of us, too, child and adult. This is why the only thing we can all faithfully do is to daily lay it down and extend our hands to receive fresh grace. Without the cross we are all a wailing, selfish child-like mess- not pretty. Thank you Jesus!
Emily, I love this. Your insightful thoughts are TRUTH and pushes me to "I want to for you Lord". Thank you.
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