Self-Reliant
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011This month we are talking about gratitude. It fits perfectly since we celebrate Thanksgiving this month. We all get together with family and friends, we cook a huge meal and eat leftovers for a week. We are so thankful for what we have. We never have to worry about our needs. So we can thank God for those things. But do we thank God for everything?
Lately I had a conversation with a close friend and stated that “I wish I were normal.” In the past I’ve struggled with depression and though I am no where near feeling that way again, I still struggle with just being content and having joy. I have every reason to feel joy. I have a healthy baby girl, a wonderful husband, close friends that I love dearly but yet I feel something is missing. So why can’t I just enjoy it? Why can’t I just ignore the feelings of sometimes feeling blue? Why do I constantly need to pray to God about this and lean on close friends?
Then something hit me when I looked at our memory verse. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
We are not meant to have it all figured out. And we don’t have to have it all together. And our struggles causes us to draw closer to our Savior. We need him to save us constantly. He didn’t make us to be self-reliant but the opposite. Jesus is the only one who can be self-reliant. He made us to have this need that only he can fill. And just because we are occasionally picked up by Jesus doesn’t mean that we can’t stay up. But as long as we know that we will always need carried at some point in our lives by our heavenly father. And I’ve decided, I’m ok with that.
So this week I’ve decided to be thankful for my struggles. I’ve decided to see what can I learn from theses circumstances. Because all it does is causes me to pray and talk to Him a lot more. And I’m thankful for that.
See you Sunday!
