No Blame-Junkies

Nobody ruins my day. Nobody makes me angry. Nobody gets me in a bad mood. As a matter of fact I am fully capable of doing that on my own and would like to step up and say that when my day is ruined, when I am angry and when my mood is foul…you nor anyone else get the credit – I alone welcomed that sorry reality to grasp my attitude and then I ran downhill with it. Stress is a reality for us all, difficult personalities got cranked up in Eden’s paradise and abide with us still and human selfishness has been an open door for our anger for the entire history of mankind. It is high time we quit looking for somewhere to offload responsibility for our less-than-holy attitudes and outlooks.  Why can I say this with such boldness? Because of this promise from God’s word:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3

When I am frustrated that my needs are not being met by others in my life, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I am convinced that my circumstances are unjust and it tempts me toward bitterness, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I allow anxiety over material needs or future provision to undermine my present trust, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I feel the unhealthy need for the approval of someone so that it changes my behavior, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I seek to predict and control the behavior of those whom I distrust, when I try to anticipate the next move of my enemy, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I am prayerless, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I read my Bible and think of how what I am reading speaks to the deficiencies in other people, and do not first consider my own need for change, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I am unthankful, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I ignore the call to invest my time, money and energy in ongoing Kingdom endeavors, my mind is not fixed on God.

When I lie to myself and believe that I can find fulfillment in this world and its treasures, my mind is not fixed on God.

When my thoughts are on me and mine, my mind is not fixed on God.

So I learn that the thing upon which I most often think becomes my eventual master. My list could go on but I think we all get the picture. So I find myself looking in the mirror again and recognizing my need for spiritual growth and depth. You probably are honest enough to see the same need in your life. For us, the verse in Isaiah that follows the one cited above is good for us to embrace as we move forward. Here is something from God upon which to fix our minds:

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” – Isaiah 26:4