God's Redemption
I had a memory the other day of Grade 5 or 6 that got me thinking about God's redemptive work in us. My friends and I had been reading Judy Blume books and in one of them (maybe it was "Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing"?), the characters wrote lists of things they liked and disliked about their friends. So, my group of friends decided to try this. What do I remember of this experience? Surprisingly, not the list of things others wrote about me but rather the comment that someone made, "You wrote lots of negative things for each of us but only one positive thing." It was true! I found it easy to list specific negative things about my friends but when it came to the positives I wrote something generic like, "You are nice." It seems that my critical skills were sharper than my affirming or encouraging skills.
Fast forward to today.... and here is where I want to give thanks to God for His redemption in my life. When I think of the ways that the Lord has worked through me, one of the main themes that comes up is encouragement. I believe that the Holy Spirit has gifted me in this area and I give Him credit for taking my ability to find the negative in people and situations and reorienting me to the positive. While in my old self I do still struggle with negativity, I know I don't need to live out of that perspective and have seen how God can transform my outlook.
What is particularly interesting to me is that the "raw material" - the analytical skills I have - could be used either way. My abilities and aptitudes can be oriented towards criticism or encouragement, to tear down or build up. With God's help, I am able to go in the way of love, hope, and life.
I can't think of a Bible verse or passage to go along with this theme - maybe one of you can - but I wanted to write it as a testimony to God's power in our lives AND to encourage you readers. If there is an area of your life that is oriented towards destruction, God can change you. In fact, He wants you to be transformed. Through His Spirit dwelling in you, the raw material of your personality can become the tools of His work and a source of fruitfulness in your life. How? I don't have a technique, just the journey of walking by faith that each one of us needs to take. Go for it!
Fast forward to today.... and here is where I want to give thanks to God for His redemption in my life. When I think of the ways that the Lord has worked through me, one of the main themes that comes up is encouragement. I believe that the Holy Spirit has gifted me in this area and I give Him credit for taking my ability to find the negative in people and situations and reorienting me to the positive. While in my old self I do still struggle with negativity, I know I don't need to live out of that perspective and have seen how God can transform my outlook.
What is particularly interesting to me is that the "raw material" - the analytical skills I have - could be used either way. My abilities and aptitudes can be oriented towards criticism or encouragement, to tear down or build up. With God's help, I am able to go in the way of love, hope, and life.
I can't think of a Bible verse or passage to go along with this theme - maybe one of you can - but I wanted to write it as a testimony to God's power in our lives AND to encourage you readers. If there is an area of your life that is oriented towards destruction, God can change you. In fact, He wants you to be transformed. Through His Spirit dwelling in you, the raw material of your personality can become the tools of His work and a source of fruitfulness in your life. How? I don't have a technique, just the journey of walking by faith that each one of us needs to take. Go for it!
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