Don't Take It Personally

A man's wisdom gives him patience, it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 NIV

Have you ever been in the situation where something happened and you felt totally left out? This is something that I am personally struggling with, and it is very painful. It seems I have struggled with this all of my life. Wanting to belong to or be a part of something. Somehow I thought that because I am an adult, that those feelings would just disappear as supposedly wisdom comes as I get older.

Not so. It has shown me just how childish I can still be. Nevertheless, I still feel hurt. I am not quite sure what the Lord is trying to show me. Perhaps it is the fact that people will always disappoint me because they are human. Sometimes I even feel disappointed in what God does. Yes, I admit it, God has disappointed me. Just because I prayed and really thought that God was leading a certain way, then things fell through. I was heart broken!

But, was God really disappointing me, or was I just wanting my own way? Oh my, that hurts to think about it like that. Is that what is going on? Do I really just want my own way? Is God protecting me from harm, or even the possibility of walking away from Him if I get what I want? I certainly don't want that to happen, yet that is a possibility. I want to serve God with my whole heart, but if that heart is too involved with "things" I very well may miss what God really wants to do.

I am really hoping that by bearing my heart, that I am making myself vulnerable to not only you, but also vulnerable to God, and what He is trying to do in my life. Do I still want to be a part of a certain group of friends? Do I really want to go to that Christmas party? I must be honest and say that yes, I do. Perhaps my invitation was accidentally missed, or lost in the mail. I don't know. I do not want to take things personally, but I truly want to learn to trust God. That He will help me to grow through my offenses.

Father, help me to forgive those that have offended me. Whether they have done it on purpose or accidentally. Teach me to accept things the way that they are, and to run to You with all of those hurts and misunderstandings. Thanks Lord! Amen

Becki Reiser