Girlfriends in God - June 4, 2007

June 4, 2007

Sweet to Sour

Today’s truth
“Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8a

Friend to Friend

One night, as my husband, Brad, and I put our children to bed, our middle child had an emotional meltdown. The day had been packed full with school and various other activities. Our little gumdrop went from sweet to sour in two seconds flat. It was late. Technically, he should have turned into a pumpkin a smidgen before his meltdown took place. You know how those days are.

In a very eight-year-old kind of way, our son was completely, over-the-top irrational. Tears were flowing freely and he floated down a river of drama. His perception of reality was both extremely skewed and uniquely his own. He said that “nobody loved him” and tearfully lamented that he felt “mistreated”. Goodnight! Nothing could be farther from the truth. The love Brad and I have for our children is immovable-mountain strong. We tell them that we love them, and show them daily in countless ways. We hug. We affirm with words. We spend time with them. We laugh with them. We play with them. We spend our lives loving them.

So, how in the world could our precious child feel unloved? As we considered the tear-filled moments, Brad and I realized that two major factors played into our son’s perspective:

1. He was hungry

2. He was exhausted

Why was he hungry? Earlier that evening, he had chosen not to finish his dinner. Our son is of the mindset that he should have alternatives. We assure him that he does have choices…eat or be hungry. Simple as that. There are natural consequences to not eating. Hunger.

He was exhausted for obvious reasons.

We knew he was tired and hungry, but the thoughts he expressed were still difficult to hear. They strained our hearts. Brad and I waded through the muck of his lamentations and tried our best to soothe his little soul prior to his daily sign off.

As I reflect on that incident, the parallels in my own life make me shudder. How often do I choose not to spiritually eat? How many times do I allow my time in the Word to be chucked down on the list of things to do in a day? I have struggled with this particular battle far more often than I care to admit. How many times have I come before the Lord, fully exhausted, with tearful lamentations that could very well have been avoided with proper spiritual nutrition and rest?

Are you hungry?

Are you exhausted?

If so, then respond to the nudging of the Holy Spirit right now. Find rest in the arms of Jesus today. If you are well fed and well rested – praise Him, and then pray for a girlfriend who needs His satisfaction and rest.

Let’s Pray

Lord Jesus, Bread of Life, Restorer of my Soul – I am hungry for You. Like the psalmist prayed: “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalm 63:1-5)

Now it’s Your Turn

Let’s pull up a chair to the banquet table with Jesus today and feast on His Word together…

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.” Psalm 62:5

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out [c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” Philippians 2:14-18

More from the Girlfriends

I think we can all identify with Gwen’s thoughts as we consider our own consistent battle with spending time in God’s Word. You are not alone, girlfriend, when your good intentions are swallowed up in hurried schedules and family demands. Satan loves it when we allow anything or anyone to come before time at the feet of Jesus in prayer or studying His Word. Will we fail? Yes! Nevertheless, we must begin again. God honors a persistent heart. We are with you, friend. Never give up!