I have been struggling recently with feeling mistreated. Whether my feelings are valid or not, they are valid to God because I feel them. I have been reading "The Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster and it has been making me once again aware that sometimes I do not need to make my feelings known. I do not always need to make sure the person who is hurting me knows they are hurting me. There are times when it is just simply not needed nor will it make a difference.
It is these times I need to let God be my justifier and defender. There are times I need to let Him fight the battle for me while I keep my mouth shut, sit silently and listen to Him. I know what God thinks of me so why does it matter what others think? Also if I am truly being mistreated, I am a daughter of a just God and he will handle it. So from now on when I feel mistreated, unless the Holy Spirit asks me to speak up, I will sit silently before my Father and allow Him to handle it and allow Him to speak what is true to my heart.
Now, this is going to take some practice. I have gone back ans forth on how I "need" to hear an apology and how I "need" to make them feel bad for making me feel bad. I let the FLESH take over my thoughts daily. When this happens I have to ask God to help me to love like He did, I had a precious friend remind me that even in His SEVERE persecution He loved. Today I felt as if the Lord said to Richard Foster, "Richard, write this portion of the book for Kacey Wooster." Here is what it said:
"For every spiritual discipline there is a corresponding freedom. The freedom that corresponds with submission is the ability to lay down the TERRIBLE burden of always needing to get our own way."
For me this meant my "right" to hear an "I am sorry."
The book goes on to say, "In submission we are free at last to value other people. Their dreams and plans become important to us. We have entered into a new, wonderful, glorious freedom - the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others. For the first time we can love people unconditionally. We have given up the right to demand that they return our love. No longer do we feel that we have to be treated a certain way. We rejoice in their successes and feel genuine sorrow in their failures. It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed. We discover that it is far better to serve our neighbor that to have our own way,"
SHOOT DAWG DANG! Slap in my face. My prayer was " Lord, I want to live and love like this."
"Do you know the liberation that comes from giving up your rights? It means you are set free from the seething anger and bitterness you feel when someone doesn't act towards you the way you think they should. It means that at least you are able to break the vicious law of commerce that says, You scratch my back, I'll scratch your back; you bloody my nose, I'll bloody your nose." It means you are free to obey Jesus' command, " Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you." It means for the first time you understand how it is possible to surrender the right to retaliate: "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Well then, thank you Richard Foster for being obedient to the Holy Spirits leading to write these words. More than that thank you Daddy that you are me defender and in you I have freedom to give up my rights.
It is these times I need to let God be my justifier and defender. There are times I need to let Him fight the battle for me while I keep my mouth shut, sit silently and listen to Him. I know what God thinks of me so why does it matter what others think? Also if I am truly being mistreated, I am a daughter of a just God and he will handle it. So from now on when I feel mistreated, unless the Holy Spirit asks me to speak up, I will sit silently before my Father and allow Him to handle it and allow Him to speak what is true to my heart.
Now, this is going to take some practice. I have gone back ans forth on how I "need" to hear an apology and how I "need" to make them feel bad for making me feel bad. I let the FLESH take over my thoughts daily. When this happens I have to ask God to help me to love like He did, I had a precious friend remind me that even in His SEVERE persecution He loved. Today I felt as if the Lord said to Richard Foster, "Richard, write this portion of the book for Kacey Wooster." Here is what it said:
"For every spiritual discipline there is a corresponding freedom. The freedom that corresponds with submission is the ability to lay down the TERRIBLE burden of always needing to get our own way."
For me this meant my "right" to hear an "I am sorry."
The book goes on to say, "In submission we are free at last to value other people. Their dreams and plans become important to us. We have entered into a new, wonderful, glorious freedom - the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others. For the first time we can love people unconditionally. We have given up the right to demand that they return our love. No longer do we feel that we have to be treated a certain way. We rejoice in their successes and feel genuine sorrow in their failures. It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed. We discover that it is far better to serve our neighbor that to have our own way,"
SHOOT DAWG DANG! Slap in my face. My prayer was " Lord, I want to live and love like this."
"Do you know the liberation that comes from giving up your rights? It means you are set free from the seething anger and bitterness you feel when someone doesn't act towards you the way you think they should. It means that at least you are able to break the vicious law of commerce that says, You scratch my back, I'll scratch your back; you bloody my nose, I'll bloody your nose." It means you are free to obey Jesus' command, " Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you." It means for the first time you understand how it is possible to surrender the right to retaliate: "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Well then, thank you Richard Foster for being obedient to the Holy Spirits leading to write these words. More than that thank you Daddy that you are me defender and in you I have freedom to give up my rights.
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