As we near the age of retirement, our lives slow down and we have a little more time to think, if we allow ourselves to. In this age of rush and stress, thinking can almost be considered a luxury. Who has time to think? I mean on a large scale timewise.
Ever notice when you go into someone's house that they usually have some kind of sound going on? Either the TV is blaring or music or else they're on the computer. It seems that we instinctively fill the air waves with sound so that we don't have to be alone with our own thoughts.
I have this thing about going into the bathroom. It seems whenever I'm in the bathroom, I get hit with memories from the past. I think it was Bill Johnson that said we should never go into the past without Jesus. We are forgiven and we have to remember that. But, there's that temptation to go into the past to fix all the past mistakes we've made. If only we hadn't done this, then this other thing wouldn't have happened. We have messed up so badly in the past that it's a huge temptation to want to go back and change it all. Only, we can't.
But, today, as I was taking time with my thoughts and thinking about my habits and my relationship with the Lord, it occurred to me that our lives are about "coming to the end of ourselves".
We usually think about that in terms of getting "born again". We think of lost souls that way. When they finally come to the end of themselves, they'll turn to the Lord and find out that He was there all the time. And, it's true, we all have to come to the end of ourselves, our own way, our own solutions and our own ideas and interpretations of God in order to find Jesus.
But, today, I realized, it's something we do many, many times throughout our lives. It doesn't just happen once. Maybe the snake shedding his skin is an illustration of that concept. We have to continually put off the old and shed the dead, dry old habits and fears. Drop them like a torn skin.
We have to come to the end of ourself in order to want Jesus so badly we're willing to carve out some time for Him. We say He's in charge of our life. He's in control. That's what we tell ourselves. But, what do we do with our spare time? Do we really ask the Lord to run our schedule?
Or, do we wait until we're drained, depressed, discouraged and running out of spiritual fuel before we finally come to the end of our own resources and decide it's time to turn to God as a last resort? (Believe me, I'm not pointing fingers here.) I'm just starting to realize after 45 years that it's not until I finally surrender and come to the end of myself that I'm ready to throw myself on the Lord and let Him take over. Only then do I let go and let Him step in for a little while.
Yes, people, we have to get out of the way. That's the only way God's going to get anything done through us. He's a lot smarter than we are. He's the Boss. He knows what needs to get done. He knows what the priorities are.
Did you ever notice that the things you judge other people for are the things you feel "need" to be judged? They're the things in your life that you emphasize or place great importance on. Right? We let a lot of "little" things slip by and don't blink an eye. But, those certain things, we get affected by. They jump out and hit us between the eyes. They rub us the wrong way and we just have to make a judgement call on the person who is guilty of them.
It's because we see ourselves in that person. But, we don't recognize ourselves. We think it's the furthest thing from our minds to do such a thing. When, in reality, it's something we would like to do but have forbidden ourselves from doing. So, we feel all lifted up in self-righteousness, thinking we would never do that.
Yes, it's easier in some ways to avoid interaction with people. That way, you're not tempted to judge anyone. But, on the other hand, it's this interaction that brings things to the surface. It forces us to face our fears, to face our weaknesses. We get to see our own faults in the light of someone else's faults or so-called faults.
But, don't get discouraged when you spot the faults of others. Recognize it for what it is. It's humanity. And YOU and I are human. Our flesh is always causing us to sin. No? Well, mine is. Maybe you have the victory over your flesh. The funny things is that, the things we do have the victory over are the things we don't bother judging others for anymore. We have more compassion in those areas.
So, when you feel discouraged with the world and humanity the way they are, it's time to come to the end of yourself AGAIN and fall on your face to Jesus. Amen?
