God's Girl
I love it when God blows me away with the reality of His love, or with the certainty of forgiveness, or with glimpses of eternity. I love it when, because of His infinite patience, sometimes i finally "get it" that He is absolutely in control and will never leave me nor forsake me. I love those high and lofty moments that make me think, "This is what Heaven will be like!" Um, this won't be that kind of message. Today, God has really dropped a different kind of message into my heart. Definitely not warm and fuzzy, but girls, sometimes we've gotta hear it.Us girls can hold a grudge. Any girl can hold another in disdain and go through the motions of everyday life, bitter on the inside, "dutiful" on the outside. Any girl can build a wall around herself so as not to become vulnerable... again. Any girl can concentrate on how "right" she (actually) is, along with how "taken for granted" she is, day after day. Any girl can mask discontent with busyness and a fake smile. Any girl can wear her disappointments like sparkling, shiny jewellery around her neck. Any girl can carry a mental, "how i've been wronged" list as ammunition against those who would suggest forgiveness. Any girl can quote Scripture that she does not live. Any girl. Any woman. ANY.
It takes no special training. In fact, our flesh is well equipped with everything necessary to pull off the entire paragraph above without breaking a sweat. We come fully loaded with an aptitude toward jealousy, anger, bitterness, self-righteousness, self pity, and an everloving bucket full of "all of the reasons i have a right to pout."
Lately, there have been way too many times that i have deserved the title "Queen of Mean" - skillfully displaying all of the above traits with abandon. My fearful heart was the cause of my behaviour. But a bruised and battered heart will act like that, too. So will a confused heart. And, over time, habits of behaviour form, to protect those damaged hearts, and we become... any girl.
But we aren't called to be "any girl" - we are called to be God's girl. God's girl refuses to accept the enemy's description of her situation. She flows in forgiveness, because unforgiveness would place a barrier between her and her God. She doesn't operate in anger, because she recognizes that THAT is a trait of her enemy. She isn't wiped out by life's disappointments because she trusts God to be in control. She is reasonably comfortable with her limitations because she knows that God is aware of them too. God's girl does not hold a grudge, she knows that THAT will never reflect her Saviour's image. She is intimately connected to THE Source Who directs her life. God's girl has learned that bitterness doesn't produce beauty, but vulnerability in Christ, does.
"Any girl" will continually move farther and farther from her divine destiny. God's girl will rock her world simply by choosing to reflect the Saviour rather than her flesh.
At last week's bible study group, our group leader made a statement that echoed all week. She was speaking about the beginning of our faith walk when the road is wide and full of people. Then, it becomes narrow and less populated as "runners" drop out of the race. She said, "As the road narrows, the crowd thins out. And though there aren't as many women, the caliber of women you meet there, on the narrow road, will take your breath away!"
Does my walk take anyone's breath away, Lord? Am i willing to give up my "rights" at the foot of the cross, and allow You to break me, mould me, into Your image? Have i allowed Christ to fill me, so that i finish this race as God's girl? Of all the things i have ever wanted to be, Lord, "any girl" is not one of them.
Have Your way, Lord... Please, Father... Have Your way with me.
~ Shana ~
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~ Shana ~
We all need to work harder at walking in his footsteps.