Loving-Kindness

Yesterday afternoon and even early this morning, 

I was tempted to give into feeling 

defeated & overwhelmed 

by life’s circumstances.

But each time I have been on the verge of uttering 

(to the Lord),

“I can’t do this anymore. I cannot go on one more day”,

 Holy Spirit whispers, 

“Not by power. Not by might. 

It is by My Spirit that you can endure.

 It is not you who must go on,

 but I, the One who is carrying you that will go on.

 It is less about (your) running the race 

and more about (you) allowing me 

to carry you to the finish line. 

It was never you to begin with.

 It has always been Me.”

Wow!

What a Loving, gracious God!

There’s an old hymn which says, 

“Thy loving-kindness is better than life.”

But what I have come to realize is that 

His loving-kindness IS life.

Without it, we would never survive this world.

It is His Grace which allows us

to function on any level to begin with.

It is not our might or our power, 

but HIS Spirit who enables us 

to endure, live, succeed, prosper…breathe.

This takes the pressure off of us

and allows us to lean into Him.

What a Loving, gracious God!

Another thing He has been teaching me 

(for the past several years now) 

is that He relates to each of us on a personal level.

As a loving Father, 

He knows what each one of us needs 

based upon our 

lives, circumstances, upbringing, personalities, etc.

It is not our right to judge 

or discount another’s experience with God 

just because it does not measure up to 

our own experience with 

or perception of God.

God is bigger than that.

He is all-powerful, all-knowing,

 holds the world in the palm of His hand 

and He is never wrong.

Who are we to say 

that He must operate 

within the bounds of our own narrow-mindedness?

Besides, we’ve been given the mind of Christ, 

so why not use it?

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for reminding me.

Thank you for your faithful, loving-kindness!

What a Loving, gracious God!