“Write your hurts in the sand; carve your blessings in stone” continued…
Consistency of character shapes our personality. We are known as; kind or stingy, gentle or mean-spirited, tender-hearted or vicious, amicable or dreadful and the list goes on. When you repeatedly do what you do, that thing becomes a part of you. One look at a hardened criminal and you know what his life is like. One look at a mother with seven children and you can tell how her days unfold.
Irrespective of who we are or where we were born, we all have the ability to make choices. Some people may not be able to act on their choices straight away but that vehicle called ‘choice’ can carry them beyond their expectations. The mind is a very powerful tool. Mean-spirited people can attempt to strip you of everything but they cannot strip your mind, unless you let them.
Some people try very hard to trap others. Even the Lord Jesus was put into a tight corner. Mark 12:17 (NKJV) says, “And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him.” We need to guard ourselves and not be ensnared by schemes of wicked people. We need to be mindful of our priorities and always remember that a good name is far greater than all the riches in this world.
Just as a farmer tries to protect his crop from scavengers, we need to guard ourselves from things that can defile us, break us and corrupt our good nature. Song of Solomon 2:15 talks about the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. It is imperative that we keep away from little things that irritate us and cause us hurt. It can become like contaminated fruit – not good for anything, except to be thrown away in the rubbish bin.
When people hurt you, which they often do, look into yourself. Like ambitious worms in ripening tomatoes, you can allow those hurtful people to infiltrate your thought life. As a wise gardener takes precautionary measures to protect his tomatoes, you too can use strategies to block negativity permeating your being. The result is that you will not be brooding all day.
How do I return good for evil, you might ask. This is easier said than done, you may add. True! Humanly, it seems like an impossibility. However, knowing that human nature is so fickle and fallible, we need help from a source greater than our own. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-24 (NAS) says, “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” We need to grasp the hand of our Faithful God and allow Him to charter our course through stormy encounters. He is indeed the God of peace who sanctifies our soul. Trust in His divine wisdom and strength to navigate the good and perfect path for you.
1 Peter 2:12 (NAS) says, “Keep your behaviour excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Imagine what memories you will leave behind if you write your hurts in the sand and carve your blessings in stone! ◊
Linda Pearl
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