Psalm 107:2 – Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
I have to be honest and admit, that everything I am saying lately is not godly. Let me explain.
When I think of the above verse, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, I think about things like:
- Let the weak say I am strong!
- Let the poor say I am rich!
- Let the sick say I am healed!
But lately, I have been listening to myself and I’m not sure that I need to be saying what I am saying.
You see, I am a teacher, and school is just beginning. And already, stuff is happening. Most particularly, my schedule is probably the worst that I have ever seen in my entire career. And needless to say… I am not happy.
So in the process of trying to get my administrator to see the schedule through my eyes, I have realized that I have not been speaking words of faith. As a matter of fact, I’ve been complaining. And we all know where that left the children of Israel after they crossed the Red Sea!
Some things are easier for me than other things. And while I feel positive that everything will work our for my good, I am not saying that as much as I am saying, “This is ridiculous!” “This is not right!” “Next time I talk to her I going to say…”
This morning when I woke up, I realized, when it is all said and done, will God be pleased with the way I have been responding? I spend a lot of time as a minister, teacher, and parent telling others how to respond in difficult situations, and I have not responded in like manner. I have a lot of valid reasons in the natural to complain, but when someone is sick, they have valid reasons to say they are sick. Or when someone is struggling in their finances, they have a valid reason to say they are not rich. And so forth and so on…
As I was preparing my room today for the first day of school, Kirk Franklin’s “My Life is In Your Hands,” came on. Here are a few of the lyrics:
I know that I can make it! I know that I can stand!
No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your hands!
With Jesus I can make it! With Him I know I can stand!
No matter what may come my way, my life in Your hands!
And you know what happened? That’s when I decided that God was confirming His word to me from this morning’s message of a renewed mind. So will I still advocate for myself so that I can have a manageable schedule that will allow me the time I need to prepare for my students and to give them focused and rigorous instruction? Absolutely! But I can do all of that while saying what the redeemed say:
If God be for me, who can be against me?
No weapon formed against me shall prosper?
What the devil means for evil, God means for my good!!
Now just a word of caution: I don’t think she is the devil, but I understand that he is constantly at work to get me to operate in my flesh. And he will use normal situations in life, to be that irritant. But she is not my enemy, nor do I dislike her. However, I do dislike the situation immensely, but will not elaborate any further.
And while I am changing what I say, I will also trust Him to work it out for me because He is the righteous judge of every situation. My administrator may not change my schedule, although I am believing God that she will; but God is certainly going to help me to change my attitude, and to change my words!!
How about you? Have you heard yourself saying things that the redeemed ought not to say? Have you finished a conversation feeling like you need to repent or read the word? If so, you may need to stop and ask yourself, “What am I saying?” Don’t miss out on the assistance of God by complaining when you can saturate the atmosphere with faith filled words! I just saying!! Wonderful Jesus!!
Wonderful Jesus! 