avoiding

Monday, August 2, 2010 (8:22 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I come to You this morning after spending far too much time avoiding getting started. And just like that I’m already smiling by Your provision.

Thank You Lord. Thank You that I knew I didn’t want to approach You contrivingly. I wanted my thanks and praise to be honest and heartfelt, not forced or put-on. Thank You that You allowed me that.

While there are a myriad of things I ought to spend my time avoiding, YOU are never one of them! One verse rings out loud and clear to me this morning. Proverbs 20:3, “Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.” Ah, Lord! How grateful I am to You for reiterating my own penchants toward foolishness.

Just the other evening, far too much time was spent seeking resolution to yet another misunderstanding between loved ones. My own high regard for words in general, keeps me ever on guard for finding and using just the “right” ones, often to the discomfort of those around me. Lord, I don’t want messages of love to continue being lost because of my own inability to express myself clearly and concisely.

You are my answer. As in every single problem I ever encounter, coming directly to You with it is always the best way to go. Thank You Lord that I have this privilege. I no longer need to be afraid. Actually I never DID need to be afraid! Because You are ‘the author and finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2) I get to keep my eyes on You as I ‘strip off anything that slows me down or holds me back, especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around my feet and trip me up, and run with patience the particular race that You have set for me’ (v.1).

And see Lord? Even as I sit here with You, my heart is again encouraged by another’s ability to express themselves well. A devotion in my Life Recovery Bible concerning these verses states, “This illustration (Hebrews 12: 1-4) referred to the Olympic games. In Bible times men wore flowing robes. At the times of an event, the athletes would strip off their robes and lay them aside to run without encumbrance. If someone tried to compete in his robes, he would get tangled up, losing both the race and the prize. It is God’s will for us to win the race of life. The robes of our recurrent sins need to be laid aside. There will be pain from the exertion, but we are told to pace ourself and to bear the pain with patience. And remember, others who have run the same race and finished well are cheering us on!”

Yes Lord. Let me invest my time in ‘finishing well’ rather than in avoiding! Thank You so much Dear Lord for loving me just exactly as I am and ever encouraging me to ‘strip off anything that slows me down or holds me back’. I love You. Amen.

(510 words ~ 10:11 a.m.)