Last week I read about how there is always a spiritual battle going on, and that we have to be aware of it. We have to recognize what we are thinking about.
I kept a little journal last week to record some of my thoughts. And what I found was that a lot of my thoughts centered around envy, which is obviously not a good thing. But the majority of my thoughts were worries. I worried about things that I didn't even realize that I was worried about until I wrote them down! I also worried about one major issue which has been a big problem in my life lately. Writing down these thoughts really helped me see the specific areas where I feel like I am being attacked.
Now on to week 2, and chapters 3 and 4.
Chapter 3 - Don't Give up!
This chapter was very short and to the point, and taught me that I shouldn't avoid my problems, but jump in head first! I will never make any progress in my walk with God if I don't fight my battles. It may be a difficult journey, but it will be worth it in the end.
Chapter 4 - Little by Little
What I got out of this chapter is basically that God will probably take His time delivering us from a situation. He wants us to learn to trust Him, that His timing is best, and that our lives are in His hands. I've been coming to terms with this all summer, and you can read this post to see what I mean.
I used to be a dancer, and every time I danced, I would stretch beforehand. My dance instructor made us do splits during our stretching time, and if we were not all the way down, she would put her foot out in front of us and we would have to push down further until we touched her foot, and hold it for a whole minute. When I first started, those stretches HURT. I could barely walk afterward, and I was always so sore the next day. But before long, after weeks and weeks of stretching, I had a beautiful split, completely down with both legs straight. I could do high kicks above my head, extensions, and lots of other tricks. I was a much better dancer after weeks and weeks, and even months and months of stretching.
This is how God works in our lives. He stretches us, and it HURTS, and it takes a lot of time. But when God is finished with us, we will be dancing beautifully. And I think that is what Joyce is trying to say in this short but sweet chapter :-)
I used to be a dancer, and every time I danced, I would stretch beforehand. My dance instructor made us do splits during our stretching time, and if we were not all the way down, she would put her foot out in front of us and we would have to push down further until we touched her foot, and hold it for a whole minute. When I first started, those stretches HURT. I could barely walk afterward, and I was always so sore the next day. But before long, after weeks and weeks of stretching, I had a beautiful split, completely down with both legs straight. I could do high kicks above my head, extensions, and lots of other tricks. I was a much better dancer after weeks and weeks, and even months and months of stretching.
This is how God works in our lives. He stretches us, and it HURTS, and it takes a lot of time. But when God is finished with us, we will be dancing beautifully. And I think that is what Joyce is trying to say in this short but sweet chapter :-)
Application
This week I will continue to journal my thoughts. I will start to try to change my envious thoughts and worries into praises for what I have. And I will keep in mind that what I'm going through right now may take a long time, and may be painful, but I need to go through it so I can do a beautiful dance when it is all over!
I love your dancing metaphor! So appropriate!
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