Tuesday, February 21, 2006
But what about ME...
Do y'all ever hear those words from your children? Okay, so, daily for me too!! And what do you then say to your darling children? Right!! They are being selfish; not thinking of other's interests above their own; they aren't behaving in a Christ-like manner; yada yada yada.
So what do you say when those words come from your OWN mouth? Pretty ugly, huh? By the way, I'm talking about myself, here. The story begins something like this...
An opportunity to minister to someone became available. And my husband, who is very "others serving" (see previous post!) accepted that opportunity for us. At first, I was all for it, thinking how great this would be for our family; what a wonderful opportunity for our kids to see firsthand what it means to serve others; and so on and so forth. And then reality hit- in a big way. This "serving" is going to cut into my routine on a daily basis (gasp). As a matter of fact, some days will be just downright inconvenient. You see the twisted path on which this line of thought travels, right? All of a sudden, this whole thing is about me and not about serving someone else.
And so...let the whining commence!!! And boy, has it! "What about ME? What about MY responsibilities?" Oh, and here's a good one: "What about time for myself?" I realize I am "unzipping" here to reveal some hidden nastiness. Sorry to dash any unrealistic thoughts previously formed!
Enter the book of Romans and good ol' Paul. Thanks, God, for sovereignly placing this man in history and using him for your glory.
"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:15-20,24,25
Okay, then. You all know what follows is chapter 8 where we find that we are no longer under condemnation if we are in Christ Jesus! So what I really need to do is focus on Christ and not allow my fleshly/selfish desires to gain a foothold in my heart. Isn't the Gospel wonderful?!
So what do you say when those words come from your OWN mouth? Pretty ugly, huh? By the way, I'm talking about myself, here. The story begins something like this...
An opportunity to minister to someone became available. And my husband, who is very "others serving" (see previous post!) accepted that opportunity for us. At first, I was all for it, thinking how great this would be for our family; what a wonderful opportunity for our kids to see firsthand what it means to serve others; and so on and so forth. And then reality hit- in a big way. This "serving" is going to cut into my routine on a daily basis (gasp). As a matter of fact, some days will be just downright inconvenient. You see the twisted path on which this line of thought travels, right? All of a sudden, this whole thing is about me and not about serving someone else.
And so...let the whining commence!!! And boy, has it! "What about ME? What about MY responsibilities?" Oh, and here's a good one: "What about time for myself?" I realize I am "unzipping" here to reveal some hidden nastiness. Sorry to dash any unrealistic thoughts previously formed!
Enter the book of Romans and good ol' Paul. Thanks, God, for sovereignly placing this man in history and using him for your glory.
"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me...Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:15-20,24,25
Okay, then. You all know what follows is chapter 8 where we find that we are no longer under condemnation if we are in Christ Jesus! So what I really need to do is focus on Christ and not allow my fleshly/selfish desires to gain a foothold in my heart. Isn't the Gospel wonderful?!
# posted by a suburban housewife @ 11:27 AM 
