Me vs "Them"

You know "Them".  In fact, I'm fairly certain you have fought with "Them" before and may still even be in the midst of a fight.

I'm talking about insecurities, fears, failures, guilt, doubt, worries and all those other wonderful foes that attack us on a regular basis. I had a close encounter with "Them" today.  In the midst of it, I was reminded of the chapter in 66 Love Letters that I read last night.  It's about Genesis and what author, Dr. Larry Crabb, believes God is trying to tell us thru that book of the Bible.

Dr. Crabb, writing from what he believes is God's perspective, says:

"When you finish reading My first love letter to you, I want you to realize that I never underestimated how thoroughly you'd mess up your life or how painfully you would struggle and suffer, and I don't want you to underestimate your failures or struggles either.  They're part of the story I'm telling.

But neither have I underestimated My determination or ability to enter the mess you've made and the pain you feel and turn everything around.  I can, and I will, make everything good again.  Never, never underestimate Me.  I have a plan, a very good one, and it will move ahead to completion.  Guaranteed!"

I thought this part was interesting "I don't want you to underestimate your failures or struggles either".  Let me see if I can explain what I'm thinking....

Sometimes, when we struggle, we think it is because we are weak or not spiritual enough or a good enough Christian.  But maybe, really, we are just underestimating the power of our struggles and our pain and our failures.  They are tough stuff.  They are called a struggle or pain or failure for a reason.  There are negative emotions attached to those words and those experiences.  So maybe, instead of beating ourselves up over them, we should stop underestimating them and realize that they are doing the job they are supposed to do.

BUT we can't stop there.  We can't get stuck in the muck and mire and yuckiness of this life.  We have to remember that there is a God and He loves us and He is in control and He has a plan.  We must NOT underestimate Him.  We must keep our eyes on Him and remember that Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord , "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Knowing that God is in control and has a plan doesn't minimize our struggles and pain but it should give us hope!  It should refocus our attention away from what is happening to us or in front of us or around us and put it on the One who loves us and is the same yesterday, today and forever.  God is not to be underestimated. He has a plan.  He gives good and perfect gifts. 

His plan may not be and probably isn't our plan.  His good and perfect gifts may not necessarily be what we see as good and perfect.  He isn't concerned about what we see as important..success, beauty, money, etc.  He is concerned about us...you and me...our hearts, our character, our soul, our relationship with Him. His plan is going to have those things in mind.  He is going to give good and perfect gifts that shape us and mold us and change us into the person He knows we can be (if we'd only trust Him).

So perhaps my fight with "Them" today was a good and perfect gift from God.  Perhaps He is using it to mold and shape me into the woman He wants me to be. Perhaps I should stop underestimating my insecurities, fears, failures, etc and instead of trying to fight them myself, I should put them up against the One that should never be underestimated!

We may not win our battles against "Them" but we have the Victor on our side and He always wins.