I absolutely
love the Wednesday Night Bible Study at our church. I can’t tell you how many times my week has
been just sliding in the gutter on Monday and Tuesday, then on Wednesday nights
I get some form of Wisdom through our study and it makes all the difference in
my attitude and perspective. When I die
I don’t want my tomb stone to read she was stressed out and a good
employee. I want my life to mean so much
more. Most importantly I want my kids to
know that I loved them and that I was a great mom to them. I want my husband to know the good sides of
me not the bad. I want to express more
of the good in me. Sometimes that is
hard to find.
I will admit that when
things don’t go my way I can get a nasty and negative attitude. I have been working for years on the
negative. I remember once as a kid, I
was probably ten years old, my parents had a boat and we were out fishing. I can’t remember the circumstances as to what
brought it up but I distinctly remember my dad telling me “Sue you are the most
pessimistic person, you need to fix that”
I don’t even know if I knew at the time what that meant, but I remember
it clearly. I have used it almost as a
crutch my whole life. "Oh well I am just
pessimistic that is just who I am".
Now
as an adult I am learning that It’s so draining to be negative. It sure does not make my life more enjoyable, nor it does it make my family’s life more
enjoyable. The Lord wants us to have
Joy and I feel like this has been a work in progress in my life. Of course as in true nature as soon as you
decide to change something for the better you are constantly bombarded with
circumstances that are going to test you
and try to break you. That is just
how the Devil works. Over the last
couple of years ( I can’t believe it has even been that long) I have been
tested, I have been provoked, and I have failed more than I care to admit. I am trying, I am trying to enjoy my life
more and the people around me. It is
difficult not to get wrapped up in the negative and as my Pastor put last night " we accumulate junk...and we need pruning". As the saying goes Misery
loves company. So back to my clarity
from last night’s Bible Study. We are
Studying the Book of John chapter 15 The Vine and the Branches.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
As we
were in conversation about what this passage means, I had a revelation that all
the things I fight, the things that I am challenged by daily are all a part of
my pruning processes. Our pastor asked
us last night if this passage would change how we react to those
circumstances. Would we be more
compliant with the lessons learned and applying the biblical principals? You may know the saying “WWJD?” What would Jesus Do? I have really never thought of it that
way. I have come as far as to tell
myself that this is coming at me because I am trying to change, but sometimes I
slip back into my old routine. More so
recently and I know it is a part of me that I need to continue to work on. So to answer the question, YES. Since I know that pruning is a part of the
process to build my character to be more like that of Christ then I don’t necessarily want more trouble to
come my way but I will stop, remember this passage, dig deep and ask
myself WWJD? Then try to respond appropriately because I
know on the other end I will be better for it.
