Stiff-hand

God spoke this over my heart recently.

When we give something, someone, or a situation our total focus ...

we are taking our focus off God.

It's a straight ticket ...
a straight spiral down to ...
depression.
And since it does not sound like a tropical location,
I, for one, do not want to go there.

 

My recent appendectomy left me too sick to be there for my cat, Lucy's death.

From lack of strength,
I could barely hold her when she was on her last breath.

But life went on.
The world didn't stand still.

A few days later,
I was stronger,

and I got to thinking about her ...
the whole situation.

 

I started bawling.

I wanted to.

I wanted to dive right into the situation.

I wanted to give it my total focus.
And get out of my way.
Don't dare hold me back.

 

I looked at myself in the mirror and said:

"Shelli, WHAT are you doing?

What ARE you doing?"

I realized.

 

You see, it starts out so innocent.

I began to ask,
"Why couldn't she have lived until I was stronger?"

"Why couldn't I have had just one more good day with her?"
"Why couldn't I have been there for her passing?"

(And this can be applied to my grandmother's passing a year ago, as well) 

 

And it goes from an innocent
"why?"

 - to -

"WHY?"
with a stiff hand ...
and ...

a glare in our eye and a grit in our teeth.

Matthew 6: 19-21, 24 says:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
...
No one can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to one and despise the other."

 

If our thoughts and our talk are consumed with
our problems,
leaving God out of the equation,
we've been robbed.

Why?

God's Word says we can't love both.

If we give our hardships total focus

- the love -

more than likely, we will despise God for them.
 

 And though our total focus on our hardships
may not be intentional love;

we are undeniably showing them,
by total focus,
the love.

 

We must have proper balance ...

 

for sanity ...

for peace of mind ...
for obedience ...
for protection ...
for trust ...
for love ...

We must focus on God

and purpose to see our hardships
... in His light
... in His hand.