God kept putting the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in my mind, and I would try to shake my ill feeling, but it just wasn’t happening. Yikes!
Well, I put on my walking shoes, grabbed my music and headphones, and went for a brisk walk in the heat of the day.
I was led to play MercyMe’s track. First song, “Coming Up To Breathe” spoke to me right away. This is what I felt like I needed to do after drowning myself in self-pity. I’d walk, sing, listen, and pray.
The next song was, “So Long Self”. That was sooo what I needed. The bridge in the song says, “Don’t feel so bad. There’ll be better days. Don’t go away mad. Just go away, go away.” The new self talking to the old self. I needed to quit being so selfish! Ugh, just shake it, sista. (That would be me talking to myself.)
Boom, the third song nailed it too. It was “Hold Fast”. “Hold fast, Help is on the way. Hold fast,
He’s come to save the day.” Whew, thank You, Jesus. I am holding on to You! As I was listening, I could feel His grip getting tighter and my thoughts loosening.
The music continued to touch me and God continued to work on my attitude.
One of the last songs was titled, “You’re to Blame”. The chorus says, “You are to blame for anything that is good in my heart. You are to blame for this change that has taken me by storm.” Yes! I blame God for all the goodness in my life. I don’t think He’ll mind me blaming Him for that.
I’m glad God gave me a spanking. I need it! And I’m grateful that He is loving, forgiving, and teaches me through my “walks” in life with Him.
When I started NOT focusing on me and what everyone else was doing wrong, I started to smile more, notice the birds chirping, the boys laughing and playing in the pool, and the seeing beauty in all. When I saw my neighbor washing his dog, that was a scene for what I felt like, good cleansing from my owner. When I heard the precious sounds of birds and laughter, it made me feel free and blissful.
The time for the azaleas to bloom has past, but God showed me a few buds that were pink surrounded by a whole bush of brown buds. It reminded me that I am like a precious bud ready to bloom and show God’s beauty.
Oh, I could go on and on, but I’ll just show you some pictures of what I saw.
Yeah! A budding pink azalea in the midst of all the dead. It's a new day!Like MercyMe's song says "We are all the same searching for the truth." We may be going in different directions like these palms, but we are still all the same.
What a glorious sky while I was walking. I felt like I was in a big marble.Like MercyMe's song says "We are all the same searching for the truth." We may be going in different directions like these palms, but we are still all the same.