Being Me

I used to watch the Dr. Phil show a lot when I was a stay at home mom.  Although this was some time ago, I still remember something he used to always say to the guests on his show.  He said, "You tell people how to treat you".  Those words have stayed with me and tend to surface in my mind whenever I feel I've been treated unfairly, rude, judgemental, or just downright mean.  Yet, after all this time of hearing those words over and over in my mind, I still can't figure out what exactly he means, or better yet, what exactly to do about it.  You see, the problem is that I believe in being myself, and being the person God commands me to be.  It is a struggle in a world filled with people wo do not care about what God commands us to be.  I struggle at times to maintain the values that I hold to be true and struggle with saying or doing things that are not of my character because I want to fit in with "the world".  I want to be accepted, to be loved; I want to be sweet and kind and FUN, and yet...I want to be ME. 

The Me I want to be is patient, is kind.
The Me I want to be does not envy, does not boast, is not proud.
The Me I want to be does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered,
The Me I want to be keeps no record of wrongs.
The Me I want to be does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
The Me I want to be always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Lord, please help me to always be the ME I so desperately want to be!!

It Matters to God

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." ~Psalm 56:8 

Jesus taught us to pray as follows: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread . . ." (Matthew 6:9–11).

In this template for all prayer, Jesus is effectively saying, "When you pray, always acknowledge the greatness of God. Pray for the will of God, and pray for the provision of God."

So when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we are, in effect, acknowledging that everything we have comes from God!

This is what we need to remember: God can take care of our needs. Do you believe that God can take care of you, even when the odds are against it? Maybe you work very hard. Maybe you save your money and invest wisely and have done well for yourself. And you say, "Well, I know it has come from God, but I played a part in it." No, it all came from God. The ability to think clearly came from God. The beat of your heart came from God. The blood coursing through your veins came from God. Everything you have is from the Lord, including the clothes you are wearing, the car you drive, the home you live in, and the spiritual gifts and talents you have. They are all from the Lord.

So when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we are acknowledging that everything we have has come from God. And we are also saying that everything we need in the future still will come from God.

If it matters to you, it matters to God. If it troubles you, it is a concern to God. So bring it to Him. He is interested in detail.