As I sat in front of my computer this morning, I wondered what I should write. I decided to be honest about something that God has shown in my life this week.
This happens to me all the time.... Whenever I have to speak on a particular topic, God always allows me to struggle and wrestle with it personally before I speak. I think it helps me to internalize God's truth so that I can speak from a level of authenticity.
This week, I had to prepare a message about contentment...about how we are all attached to something. That something determines our contentment. That can be a person or thing or circumstance. It is so easy for us to attach ourselves. There is a string attached to that something. Follow the string. You'll find what is attached to your soul.
I started to think about the things that tend to determine my emotions or moods. What would change my mood? Over all my years of living, what were the triggers that changed my emotions? I realized (God pointed it out) that I had a lot of things, so I followed the strings from each of them: friends, opposite sex, tennis, job, appearance. They all led to the same thing... I am attached to what others think of me. God really showed me how my emotions ride a roller coaster depending on what happens in my life based on what others think of me. If everything is going well, then I feel good. But if someone should not like me or I hear a negative comment about my latest speaking engagment, it destroys my contentment.
We have a choice when it comes to this. We can choose to attach ourselves to Someone who doesn't change. People, things and circumstances will change, but God remains consistent in who He is and what He thinks of you. We need to let God determine our contentment so that when tough things happen or rejection comes, it won't ruin our contentment.
Sarah Bragg
3 comments:
I think *everyone* struggles with the what-do-people-think-of-me thing. Especially girls, but I could be wrong because I've never gotten into the mind of a boy. :)
"friends, opposite sex, tennis, job, appearance..."
I agree with those except for tennis which I do not take. But I act, and I know that in that avenue at least there is constant "What do people think of me?" syndrome. What does the director think of me? 'Cause I really want him to cast me! What do my fellow actors think of me? That they could SO do a better job than me? And lastly and usually most importantly: What does the AUDIENCE think of me? Are they moved by my acting or do they think to themselves, she'll never go places. Or sometimes I get a bad picture of myself in the newspaper and I cringe.
I have been able to trust God for these things, thankfully, otherwise by now I'd be a mess. :)
Hey Erin,
Thanks for the comment! I find that it is a learning process for me. Sometimes I do really well with attaching myself to God and detaching myself from what others think. I find that there is so much more freedom when I not let what other people think of me drive what I do and think and feel.
Sarah
Hey Erin,
Thanks for the comment! I find that it is a learning process for me. Sometimes I do really well with attaching myself to God and detaching myself from what others think. I find that there is so much more freedom when I not let what other people think of me drive what I do and think and feel.
Sarah
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