Thomas puked in the car again, effectively destroying a third car seat in his three short years. When I asked if he felt like he needed to be sick, he said, “I don’t,” but, according to his mom, commenting from the driver’s seat afterwards, he meant, “I don’t want to!” Then he did. He retched explosively, as if he’d been holding it back for ages until he could hold it no longer. I was sitting right beside him, knowing he wasn’t feeling well and needed comfort. Since he had been sick the night before, what I also should have known was I needed a barf bag handy!
My knee jerk reaction was to cup my hands under his chin and try to contain the damage. Once his fury was spent and he was stripped down and cleaned up, I removed layer after layer of car seat and seat protector to end up wet wiping the entire rear seat before pitching everything into the nearest dumpster. If the unnamed realty office caught me on security camera, I sincerely apologize but there was no riding home with that in the car!
You would think I would have learned by now. I’m no rookie. I raised three humans who are all still alive and well. I’ve had a hand in raising many more, including four I’m blessed to call grandchildren. Experience is a pretty good teacher, but here’s something you need to know about me. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. That’s a mostly antiquated phrase, so for clarity, I mean I’ll assume you’re going to do the right thing, the thing I would do if I were in your shoes in any given situation.
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”
Luke 6:31 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/luk.6.31.AMP
““Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior:
Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!
If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back?
Run-of-the-mill sinners do that.
If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal?
Garden-variety sinners do that.”
Luke 6:31-34 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.6.31-34.MSG
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Romans 3:23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.3.23.NLT
We all mess up sometimes. We botch things up and we need help with the clean up. We all fall short of God’s glorious standard every single day because we are human and we live and love in a fallen world. That’s where repentance comes in.
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
1 John 1:8-10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.8-10.NLT
Jesus corrected Peter when he asked how often he should forgive- seven times a day? No! 70×7! That’s a hard lesson to follow, but Jesus said it and I trust Him explicitly, so I choose to obey. Not to say I won’t be secretly frustrated with you. I may even remind myself not to be so quick to trust in the future, but I will forgive you because Jesus also said I should pray, “forgive my debts as I also forgive my debtors.”
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.7.NLT
When you read difficult accounts in the Bible, your response may be telling. Often, my human nature immediately begins the process of bargaining or justifying, much like the lightning fast reaction that happens when you’re cruising down the highway and see a patrol car. It’s doesn’t matter if I’m actually speeding. My foot comes off the pedal and my mind begins concocting every legitimate excuse I may have to be exceeding the speed limit. You know exactly what I mean!
But God is not on trial. He has given us His Word as a gift. He reveals Himself to us through its pages by His Spirit in the same way Jesus showed us God. Not everyone understood Jesus. Many rejected Him and He warned us that we may be rejected in the same way when we choose to follow Him. It’s important to ask ourselves then, when I am reading God’s Word, am I, like the Pharisees, looking for a way to accuse or condemn Him? Or have I come before Him with holy awe and a healthy fear of the Lord asking for light for my path?
“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way.
It is like a light that guides me.”
Psalm 119:105 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/psa.119.105.NIRV
“Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.
To live my life by your righteous rules has been my holy and lifelong commitment.”
Psalms 119:105-106 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.119.105-106.TPT
“I consider your Word to be my greatest treasure, and I treasure it in my heart to keep me from committing sin’s treason against you.”
Psalms 119:11 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/psa.119.11.TPT
“I’ve banked Your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.”
Psalms 119:9-16 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.119.9-16.MSG
God’s Word is absolute Truth. All of it. God does not owe you any explanation. He asks only that you come to Him in perfect trust like a child to his father, confident in who He says He is and who you are in Him. He wants your heart. Hiding His Word there where it can flourish and grow allows your faith to be productive. You will bear good fruit, the fruit of His Spirit, so that the watching world can see what an intimate relationship looks like with a perfect Father.
“But what happens when we live God’s way?
He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.
We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.
We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse.
We have far more interesting things to do with our lives.
Each of us is an original.”
Galatians 5:22-26 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/gal.5.22-26.MSG
You are created in the image of God and endowed with an eternal spirit that can be conformed to the likeness of His Son, Jesus. God’s Word is your lifeline! It is food and drink, necessary nourishment for each day’s journey. The Bible has been described as a road map to heaven, but I believe a far better analogy is a treasure map. There are layers of meaning, clues to something truly valuable, nestled in God’s Word but they will not give themselves up to a casual observer. Dig deep, then share the wealth for there is plenty for everyone who seeks.
“Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. [Deut 4:29, 30]”
Jeremiah 29:13 AMP
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