Thursday Thoughts on my Faith

"Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16

Sigh. I am so human and part of my human-ness is forgetfulness. I found myself in the depths of discouragement again this week. And the first thing I did is what I always do, I tried to figure out how to solve my problem. But when I couldn't solve it, when I couldn't see my way out from under it using my limited human power and understanding I did what I always turn to second: food. I downed a 1/4 of leftover birthday cake doused in half-n-half and cried myself to sleep. Surprisingly, that didn't solve my problem either (I know, strange). As I descended into depression I decided to, sigh, give God a try. Maybe He can help me. I thought. MAYBE??? MAYBE God can help? Sheesh! No wonder my spirit was in trouble. Like I said, I'm good at forgetting.

I tend to easily forget all the times His Spirit and His Word have pulled me through. Sometimes He fixes the problem and sometimes He just fixes my attitude but it's ALWAYS, ALWAYS better. I never regret seeking the Lord in times of trouble. How could I forget the best thing that ever happened to me? How could I forget the peace that only His Spirit could give me? How could I forget all the miracle solutions that suddenly appear sometimes? How could I forget God's goodness and His love for me. Sadly, easily.

So this week, even though it was the 3rd thing I tried, I did remember to go to the One source of ultimate contentment and as always, He delivered. My problem is still current (but it has improved) but what changed dramatically is my attitude. God has given me an attitude of beauty and peace and that attitude gives me the oomph I need to soldier on. The storm rages around me but I know in Whom I have trusted and hopefully this time I will continue to trust Him through it. The verse above from Jeremiah was particularly meaningful to me this week. It's a reminder to "eat His words" which to me says not just read the Word but ingest it and apply it to my life especially in times where comfort is needed. Along with prayer and just "being" in God's presence when I am hurting the Bible contains all the encouragement I need.

Oh Lord, give me the memory of an elephant when it comes to You. Help me not to forget that you should be my first line of defense against discouragement!!! Amen!