Each year many of us make New Year’s resolutions that seem like changes that we need to make in our lives. We have high hopes for how different we will be once the next year comes around. We have images of what we may look like, or how our life will be different.
December makes its way back around and our lives are pretty much the same as they were the year before. Nothing has changed. Nothing looks like we envisioned and disappointment sets in and we begin to believe that we are not capable of changing. Other people may have the ability to change their lives but for some reason we are not members of that exclusive club. We enjoy watching others struggle on TV as they fight to lose the weight and we might even become inspired by these dramatic shows. Yet there is still the idea in our head that this true change is beyond our ability.
God tells us that He has something different for us as His children. He desires us to live our lives free from the sin that so easily entangles. God has set us free, and we are no longer slaves to sin. Why then do we still live as though we are slaves and unable to live our lives differently.
God has given us special gifts, that came to us when we were given the Holy Spirit. These gifts are:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-Control
If we already possess these things then why are we living our lives as if we don’t have these gifts? Why am I? Why do I struggle with my temper, it certainly isn’t gentle when I raise my voice to my kids. Why do I struggle with anxiety and depression? Those things are the absence of joy and peace. [I am aware that there are types of depression that requires medication. I am not referring to clinical depression which often has a powerful chemical imbalance to it.]
I struggle with anxiety and depression at times. These emotional struggles usually come when I indulge in self-pity. As I allow myself to feel sorry for my difficult circumstances, I am not seeking joy from that situation. Often when I take the time and effort to shut down those thoughts of self-pity I can find many things that bring joy, thankfulness and peace. When I take the time to turn my attention to the Lord and His work in my life I can fight against the pity part that comes and threatens to pull me down that slippery slope. Does the anxiety still come? Yes, but I want to seek the Lord’s best for me even while living in this world that is so fallen.
Each day may be a fight, each day may be a battle. But God has called us to be different from what our flesh calls us to be. We are to be growing each day in the image of God.
Are you destroying the things that rise up and try to pull you back down to the pit from which God has raised you? Are you taking every thought captive as you move forward in your daily walk with Christ? I pray that I will be each and every day as I strive to be obedient to the calling the Lord has placed on my life.
Growing Together 