Monday, March 11, 2013

When I realized that I am a brat!

Who else is really glad that a lot of times God doesn't deal with us the way we deserve to be dealt with?  Who else is thankful that with loving grace he leads us to realize our sin(s) and then accepts our apology and repentance? I know that I am!

Last week I was reading one of my favorite encouraging mommy blogs when I saw a link to another blog and the title of the post jumped out at me. It was titled "Diary of a spoiled brat." As I read her post I could relate on almost everything she was saying and it was like she had been in my head all week. A really long story short, by the end of her post I had read a beautiful story of a woman who realized how incredibly blessed she really is and she had a new perspective! She told this story...

"Last week our missionary friend Maurice (who serves endlessly and feeds nearly one hundred children every night) found a man laying limp on the side of road. Thinking he was dead, Maurice went over to search for vital signs. There was a faint hear beat so he lifted the near-death Haitian and carried him to safety. It turns out the man was starving. Malnourished and ill from years and years of living on the streets.  He was painfully poor, never having lived in a home his whole life. Maurice had little to give, but offered that he could stay in the generator shed and hung him a hammock and gave him food. The Haitian was overjoyed – completely overtaken with gratefulness because he had never in his whole life slept under a roof." The Unplugged Family. 

After reading everything before that portion of her post and then reading that, I was a mess. God started to break my heart and I sat there in tears as I realized I was a brat! I had been walking around with a stinking bad attitude for 3 days, determined to not like the change coming for our family. I wallowed in self pity and a woe is me mentality. I was angry that we were going to have to give up our beautiful home, (the one I worked so hard to make beautiful), for my husband to attend Bible college ( wow, really Tiffany??) I was angry that we are going to be moving into a house that needs work, just as this one did and isn't "move in ready." I complained and complained. I picked apart every reason why "the new house sucked." It didn't matter that it is two times as big as the house we are in now, in a good safe area and a sturdy, safe home for my family. It didn't matter that it was a huge financial blessing from God so my husband can answer the calling on his life. I deserved the wrath of God as I complained about his blessing for us and told him why I didn't like it. I deserved a spiritual spanking for my bad attitude and lack of thankfulness. However, God dealt with my gently and allowed me to read that post. I walked away broken in my sin and ungratefulness and completely thankful for a new roof over my head and running water in our sink's. Here I was complaining when a man in another country was rejoicing for a shed with a hammock. Perspective! God reminded me of the Israelite's and how they so desperately wanted out from under Pharaoh and God delivered them from his rule and performed miracle after miracle, even providing mana from Heaven and yet they complained. I want to go to the next level, but I didn't want it to be inconvenient. My beautiful mother-in-law reminded me that most of the letters Paul wrote that are in the Bible, he wrote from a prison! Perspective! And that when Paul wrote about contentment and joy, God's grace being sufficient that he either wrote it from a prison or following one trial after the other.

My joy can't be in the car I drive or the way my house look's. My joy can't be in what I possess that will burn. My joy and thankfulness don't come from what surrounds me or what the circumstance's in my life are, my joy comes from Christ! My joy comes from knowing that I'm bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ and I have been saved from my former self and my old life. If my whole world washes away, I still stand saved by the Savior and filled with a daily hope and promise of an eternal life in his very presence! What more could I want, need or ask for? Perspective!

2 comments:

Marissa Writes said...

I love that blog (I also clicked on the link) And yes what a difference a new perspective can make. I need the reminder all the time. I often get caught up in my daily stuff and forget that I am truly blessed. Thanks for sharing!

Marissa
http://forfunreadinglist.blogspot.com

Liter8ure said...

I had that kind of come to Jesus moment a few months ago when I was complaining about things. It suddenly hit me that I was being a huge brat!

We lead such a blessed life, even with the struggles we've faced, and I am so thankful for it. We all need to take a step back daily and look at all that God as given us because there's always someone else who would give anything to trade places with us. And I've always believed that some of the most joyful and beautiful moments we can experience will come after an inconvenience or a hard time because I've seen how God has used all of the times like that in my life to do something amazing.

As long as we have Christ, we're never lacking a thing :).