Though the Lord is high, yet he has respect to every lowly, humbled sinner; but the proud and unbelieving will be banished far from his blissful presence. Divine consolations have enough in them to revive us, even when we walk in the midst of troubles.

And God will save his own people that they may be revived by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life and holiness.

If we give to God the glory of his mercy, we may take to ourselves the comfort. This confidence will not do away, but quicken prayer.

Whatever good there is in us, it is God works in us both to will and to do. The Lord will perfect the salvation of every true believer, and he will never forsake those whom he has created anew in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalm 138:8

Sunday, February 22, 2009

I Am A Defender!

One of the areas in my life that still needs some definite work is my defensiveness against people who have hurt someone I love. I'm afraid I am a bit aggressive when it comes to defending those who are most important in my life.

Sometimes in defending my "loves" I end up coming on so strong that I offend or hurt the person who I feel has committed the offense against "mine"! That really is not my intention. I start out just wanting them to understand the hurt they have caused because I feel like if you can talk about problems . . . they can be resolved!

Not always so! It seems there are people who believe they have no fault in hurting others - no matter what the situation. I guess they just think it's the injured person's responsibility to "get over it" - which is not always easy!

I am (slowly) learning that just because I want to defend my family and friends - it's not always practical. Depending on the person who has caused the hurt and that person's continued "hurtful" behavior - there may be no resolution! In that case, I resolve, from this day, to stop defending . . . at least to those same people.

That doesn't mean I won't still be saddened by the hurt inflicted or by the affect it has on those I love, but I will choose not to share those feelings with those people who have decided it doesn't matter to them. My actions to defend those I love having no impact, but angering or hurting the offender - does nothing to help anyone! Big news, right?!

I've never understood why people choose to ignore issues that can cause deep problems in their relationships. I guess it's because of the way my parents taught me to talk things out before they could become an issue. I'm glad they taught me those things because I know it makes a huge difference! I've just had to learn that it doesn't always make a difference to others.

I don't want to hurt others. I try to see them through God's eyes, even though I've not perfected this in my life! I am still a work in progress and hope that I continue to learn for the rest of my life.

Because of trauma that I've lived through in the past I sometimes believe that others will be as hurt as I once was by actions and words against them and that's just not the way I need to look at every situation. Each person deals with hurt in their own way and that's what I have begun to understand more fully.

Thank you, God, for forgiveness and mercy.

Thank you, Father, that my heart has been opened

and accepting of Your truths.

I pray that I will be open to allowing the Holy Spirit to speak

through me in all areas of my life and

to think about every word before it is spoken!


In His Love and Blessings
annb
Posted by ann at 3:11 PM
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4 comments:

  1. Beth in NC6:11 AM

    Hi Annb. I think I lean in that direction naturally too. I speak up too often I'm sure. I am praying to have more self-control where my mouth is concerned!

    For those who are in Christ -- God is our Defender and Shield.

    Love,
    Beth

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  2. Anonymous11:03 PM

    Just to be a voice of reason here. Where God is reason. You are full of yourself and a control freak. You are experienced and think you carry a big stick, but all that experience just led you to overdo it because of the anger and hostility you hold onto from your past. The morals and character are what you need to focus on. Forget about the salvation part for now. Focus on those little character flaws and quit thinking you've come to god and jesus while still making the same mistakes over and over again. You are NOT a defender. You are an KNEE JERK OFFENDER! Completely reactionary! working with a shakey foundation. God is all things, love it but a single aspect among many.

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  3. ann2:06 AM

    From your comment I can only guess (since you chose not to leave your name) that I may have hurt you in the past. If that's true, I certainly would have like to know who you are and be given the chance to talk with you about whatever the situation was that caused you this much anger!
    I am not perfect and have spent the last year in counseling - with a counselor and doctor who are both Christians - trying to work through the issues I've had in the past caused by the trauma experienced in my life.
    It sounds like you think you know me - but obviously you don't or you would know that I desire to be full of God's love and trust that He will heal the hurts and the sounds that I have from the past.
    I will pray for you, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beth in NC5:08 AM

    Hi Annb! Your name is in the drawing for the Francine Rivers series. These books are wonderful!

    Have a blessed day!
    Beth

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