God speaks, indeed.
Day before yesterday, I was emotionally distressed with a certain group of people. Their selfish act filled me with so much anger and hatred, to the extent of causing me to really consider transferring. It was such a pain to the soul and a struggle to brush the emotions away.
I met up with Mee Gee later that day for dinner and shared with her my story. And surprisingly, she's been through a similar situation as well. And she understands why I acted the way I did. Because, it's human nature. I shared with Sam when I was driving on my way home and when I got home, I shared with Mom too. So, point is, I was greatly affected by what happened that I couldn't stop thinking about it and felt the need to vent so much. When I got to bed that night, I don't remember spending time praying about it. It was probably a super short prayer and then I fell asleep.
2 days later, which is today, I'm sitting here in my office, and there's this innate inclination to just spend time in devotion, before starting any work. And so I did. The devotion message was so timely and apt, and it spoke of what I was going through.. literally.
Here's what it says.
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We’re tempted to fixate on all kinds of things: our image, another person’s opinion of us, our success or our failures. When things go poorly for us (bad health news or relational disappointments or financial woes), we search everywhere and look to anyone in a failing attempt to figure out how to change our situation. We try very hard to save ourselves.
The psalmist knew serious trouble. He spoke of violent men who were hunting him down, “snarling like vicious dogs” (Psalm 59:6). Their assaults were not merely physical: “Their words cut like swords,” he wrote (v.7). Do you feel as if someone is after you or as if some circumstance has consumed you? Are you experiencing a relationship that’s painful, that cuts to your soul?
Rather than working frantically to find your own remedy (which never ultimately works), Scripture invites you to turn to God, knowing that He’s the only One who can rescue you. The psalmist encourages us to quiet our heart, turn fully to God, and proclaim, “I watch for You” (v.9 NIV). We don’t watch for ourselves or our friend or our spouse. Our true help doesn’t come from these sources. We watch for God. —Winn Collier
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Reflecting back, that was exactly what I did. Turn to everyone/anyone available and share my problems with them, hoping they'd give me a good advice or suggest a way out, that would help make me feel better. I TRIED SO HARD TO SAVE MYSELF, WITH MY OWN FINITE MEANS AND STRENGTH.
But as usual, to no avail.
I know what I needed to do, to be still, quiet and commit the entire situation into God's hands, yet, at that moment, I allowed the circumstance to consume me, to cloud my judgment and affect my actions. I just couldn't get out. I just couldn't be still.
And here's what another devotion I read said, doubly affirming what God wants me to know and do.
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He promised, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). He told us to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, forgive offenses, reject greed, tolerate each other’s weaknesses, live to serve and love one another as He has loved us. It seems that in large part, peace is up to us. Paul verifies that in Romans 12:18, “As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” This Christmas, let’s make peace our gift to the world in which we live as we reflect the Prince of Peace.- Joe Stowell
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. —John 14:27 *******
Living in peace with others is not an easy task and it's easier said or read than done. But I will try.
