As part of Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study, “What
Happens When Women Say Yes To God,” we were encouraged to answer some bible
study questions at the end of the chapter.
The question that stood out for me was, “What is holding you back from
going deeper in your relationship with God?”
So what is holding me back? Lately for me, it’s praise, or lack of. I tend to get caught up in the pity party of life. I’m so busy (I can’t stand when people tell
me how busy they are and here I am saying it), there is too much on my plate,
my kids want me to entertain them all the time, I’m working too much and I want
to be outside, I can’t exercise enough because I’m too busy…blah, blah,
blah. God really spoke to me and said,
“Do you want your kids to whine all day long or would you rather hear them thanking you?"
Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in
his mighty heavens. Praise him for his
acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness…Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord.”
I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get the joy
back in my life. I want to praise God for all things. Praise him
that I work at home and can spend time with my kids. Praise him for a
wonderful, hard working, God-loving husband because I know too many people that
don't have a relationship nearly as good as ours. Praise him that we have
a roof over our head and good (organic, yum) food to eat. Praise him for
all the laundry because we have clothes on our backs. Praise him for the
endless wet towels because it means we've been having fun swimming.
Praise him for our neighbors that the kids want to constantly play with
because we aren't lonely. Praise him for a church family that is close
and loving and always there for us. Wow, the list could go on and on.
So what am I doing sitting here whining when I should be praising him?
Isn't that what is going to get me closer to God?
Today, I’m going to surrender my pity party. I’m going to surrender my over scheduled
busyness. I’m going to surrender my bad
attitude. I will praise God for the
amazing abundance that he has given me and stand here with my PALMS UP waiting
for God to bless me with a deeper relationship with him. I
will say YES to what he wants me to do and praise him along the way.
Praising God with my Palms Up receiving all God has
for me,
Shila
Thanks for the reminder to praise instead of whine. I too can get caught up in the pity party side of things and it only escalates until I surrender it to God and start looking at the blessings abundant and praise Him for them. Your comment, "Do you want your kids to whine all day long or would you rather hear them thanking you?" really hit home. I can always relate better to God when I view Him through a parents eyes the way you just did. It is also the only way I can REALLY see the love God has for me....I love my one son and would do anything to make him happy...and that is how God feels about me...but He will not give me things just because I want them but because they are things that will grow me and be good for me. Praise God for His mercies, wisdom and love!!! Thank you Shila for your blog. I read about 7 and this is the only one that really touched my heart.
ReplyDelete