Have you ever struggled to see things more like God sees them? I realized several years ago that many of my thoughts did not reflect His truths. Instead they came from my own interpretation of my experiences. I noticed my tendency to default to defense mode or survivalism. I’m blessed that God has brought me out of so much, and I want my thinking to emerge from that attitude instead of old challenges. So I started asking God to help my thoughts mirror His point of view instead of my own.
God taught me that He is for us. Sometimes we feel that because bad things happen, perhaps God doesn’t care. Or that we’re bad or unforgiven or it’s our fault. But good and bad things happen to both believers and non-believers. We live in a fallen world. As believers, we have God’s promises that He will make something good out of what is bad (Romans 8:28), He will rescue us (Psalm 91), and nothing happens without Him knowing about it (Proverbs 5, 15, Psalm 139).
What if our challenge really is our fault? God knew us before we were born (Psalm 139). He is not bound by time. He knew beforehand what we would do. He sent Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners estranged from Him (Romans 5:8). He made complete provision for us. Yes, we need to repent, to turn away from the wrong and back toward Him. But if He loved us when we didn’t love Him, He’s not going to love us any less now.
God loves us and is for us. He is not against us. He is not punishing us. Jesus took our punishment. If you believe and accept His gift, there is not, nor will there EVER be, punishment for you. Discipline, yes. But discipline comes from love, which is different from punishment. “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more” (John 8).
If God is for us, then we don’t go through anything alone. He has already provided solutions and comfort. We need to include Him in how we interpret our experiences and in decision-making. But we don’t need to worry. Instead, let’s use our energy to ensure the foundation of our processing is truth — not past defenses, hurts, logic without Spirit, or other common human thinking.
Trust in His provision, even if it’s by faith alone. Watch your speech. Decisions, processing, and words all need to reflect His truth. It’s fine to process aloud to someone you trust, but it’s counterproductive to process by going over and over the “bad” that has happened.
Questions for Reflection:
* Can you incorporate any of these principles into something you’re dealing with today?
* What truth is He leading you to?
* Are you able to come into agreement with truth instead of your natural interpretation of circumstances?
~ Deborah S. Bodnar, writer
~ Danyelle Yoder, painter of “Migratory Mind”, https://www.danyelleyoder.com/
