Make Peace with Yourself
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, …and purify your hearts…” (James 4: 8).
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” (James 4: 10).
Finding comfort in knowing God – is taking care of yourself! It is ok when we are not ok. We do not have to figure out how to get through life’s dark storms and back into the light of life alone. If you have had enough and you feel you just cannot keep going; you’re tired, too discouraged, too hurt, and angered to keep pushing forward STOP! And REST! God will take care of you. If your mind and body have had enough, let God in. Stop pushing through and REST. Let God nurture you through quiet time in prayer, reading, and meditating in His Word.
Make your favorite cup of coffee or tea, and drink it slowly. Light a candle. Read a Psalm and make it your prayer. Spend time for yourself in God’s Word and listen for Him to comfort you. What YOU BELIEVE MATTERS! Each of us has a personal life story in which we are the main character. Who am I? What is my purpose? Where do I belong? Where do I go from here? We are not born with these life stories. We are shaped by different influences over the years. Media we watch and listen to, people we look up to and follow, and our community – the people round about us all teach us how to live our lives. They show us what we should value, how to view and read people around us, and how we should steward the resources that we have been given that are at our fingertips. To put it bluntly, the strongest influence in our lives should be the story God gives us – The Bible – the Story of Jesus Christ. God gives us the answers to our core life questions. He shows us where our true hope, joy, and fulfillment is.
God promises a permanent solution to save all of humanity through a future King – Jesus Christ who will lead in the way of God Himself. God’s promised Savior Jesus Christ came to the world as a child who is the Messianic King – God’s promised One. Jesus Christ began His ministry at the age of 30, talking about the Kingdom of God, and teaching that to live for God is to reject living for self and to embrace God’s sovereign authority. Jesus Christ teaches Salvation from sin and entrance into the Kingdom of God which can only come to us through Himself – Jesus Christ and Him alone.
In Search of Personal Truth
The entirety of Scripture works together to show a bigger picture of Truth. Through it, we learn that our identity, purpose, and belonging is rooted in our being a part of the community of God. In your life story will you engage yourself in the one that matters most? The battle may be hard. But be determined to make God and His Word your focus. Give yourself permission to cry and humble yourself before God. Use Psalm 5:1-3 as your prayer: “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
Lay your request before God and wait in expectation. Moment by moment, make a conscious (and many times, painful) choice to surrender your desires to the transformative power of our heavenly Father. It will happen if you truly trust Him. You will feel incredibly empowered. Wait in expectation using prayer as your guide. There will still be hard moments and tears, but great signs of progress! Humbling ourselves means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. It is leaning on His power and His guidance, not our own independent effort. We do not deserve His favor, but He reaches out to us in His love and gives us worth and dignity.
Embrace a new outlook that leads to enduring change. Start taking steps toward consistency that helps. Use the wisdom that leads to victory. Grow closer to God through your process. Make peace with yourself.
Draw close to God:
- “Submit yourselves therefore to God” (4:7). Realize that you need forgiveness and be willing to follow Him.
- “Resist the devil” (4:7). Don’t allow him to entice and tempt you.
- “Cleanse your hands …and purify your hearts…” (that is, lead a pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing it with God’s purity.
- “Let there be tears, sorrow, and sincere grief for your sins”(4:9).
- “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” (4:10)
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
God is able and willing to bless us according to His own timing. Obey God regardless of present circumstances and in His good timing.
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more good Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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