Bigger than the Boogie Man
Scripture to ponder:
Deuteronomy 8:1-6
James 4
Jeremiah 9:23-24
1 John 2:15-17
My daughter used to have a hard time sleeping and frequently had bad dreams. I would lay in bed and hear the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the hallway. She would crawl into my bed, where we would sing a song together, until her little mind and heart were at ease. It was her favorite Veggie Tales song, ‘God is Bigger than the Boogie Man’. When she would remember that God was bigger than what she was facing, she would settle in and drift to sleep. What about our hearts, sisters? Do we remember God is bigger?
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I'm not focusing on fear here but, perspectively the opposite, confidence in self or pride. It has a way of edging itself in, leaving us unaware, until we take an introspective look at our heart or we react in a way that puts our pride on center stage. Two VIP tickets to that Broadway show? No, thank you, and I'd appreciate you not attending my premier either. If we ask him to, Christ will search our hearts and show us where pride has entangled itself into our heart (Psalms 139: 23-24), and hopefully we ask before our debut performance takes place! Our human nature is to be defensive. We tend to build walls to protect from being hurt, to gain control, or to attempt to keep things from changing. Yet, to address pride, we have to allow Christ to break through those walls we've built so that he can transform us from the inside out. We don't want to just swallow our pride, we want to eradicate it completely. We want to deny self as Christ instructs. Everything we do should be for the glory of God, sweet sister, so pride has no place. We have to continually ask ourselves, who is getting the glory for what I am doing or how I am reacting? Shew, I need that as a constant reminder to keep my heart in check. How do I respond to those my personality clashes with, or those who have hurt my heart with words, those who have different opinions, or those difficult people God has placed in my life? Maybe those people are in our path so we can grow. I imagine we all, as sisters in Christ, could come together for God's purpose in unity if we all searched our hearts and were honest with ourselves about what he reveals. What about how we interact with our sisters in Christ? Is our pride a barrier? If we are honest, I am sure a face comes to mind when asked if there is a sister we struggle to get along with. STOP!!! Don't say it aloud. Shew, that was a close one!!! Keep it between you and God, girlfriend! Now, ask yourself some tough questions: Do I treat this person as Christ would? Does my pride hinder this relationship? Do I become defensive around them? If Christ sat by my side physically, would I act differently when I encounter this person? I need some steel toed boots for these truths! It's stepping on all my toes!!!
I'm grateful God sees our hearts and knows our intentions. I'm sure I'm the only one ( can you sense the sarcasm?), but I mess up all the time. I say things I shouldn't. I get wrapped up in self. I let my emotions lead my words and actions too often. Well, I'll stop my list there so this doesn't become a lengthy novel. My point is, even when we mess up, he knows our heart and extends us grace. Sweet sisters, why do we not offer those in our lives this same grace? Why do we not put self aside and try to see their heart and intentions before we become offended? We mess up and so do our sisters. When we don't extend grace and forgiveness a barrier begins to develop and continues to grow, bringing division. I don't want a barrier with any human to impact my relationship with God or how I serve him. Pride separates, love grows. Pride divides, love strengthens.
Is God not bigger than what divides us as sisters? Barriers and division do not bring God glory. Are we part of that division through our actions, words, or lack of action, or are we seeking God to search our hearts and help us to lead with love? We have a purpose as sisters: to bring glory to God, to share his love, and to build each other up. May we help sustain our sisters in Christ, even the difficult ones. That's what he wants of us. We love others because He loves us and, friends, we most certainly weren’t deserving either! I challenge you to ask him to search your heart, listen to what he reveals, and then lead with love in obedience. We are daughters of the King building a sisterhood where everyone is loved and welcome. Let's build one another up because God is bigger than what separates!
Questions to Consider:
1) Do I truly love others as Christ does? Even the difficult ones?
2) Do my words and actions reflect my response to question 1?
3) If you have asked Christ to search your heart, what has he revealed?
4) What steps of obedience can you take in response to what he has revealed?
