It Isn't Easy...

I once resided in the city of Sodom.

Vengeful, lusting, and full of hate.

My antics never pleased the Lord,

Yet at that time, it didn’t phase me.

I carried on my life with a broken heart–

Not from receiving love, but from not giving it.

It was all about “number one” and no one else.

The Lord, however, is overly merciful.

He loves us no matter who we are, or what we’ve done.

All of my sins had become void,

Although I still wasn’t sure of that.

It took several years for my life to begin its transition.

Many times I was tempted to quit trying.

The struggles didn’t seem worth much of anything,

It only left me stranded away from what I was.

I suddenly found myself alone, scared.

What I felt was morally right never agreed with my flesh.

My mind constantly contradicted my spirit.

I was so confused, or at least that’s what I told myself.

I knew what was right, but I didn’t want the hassle.

Couldn’t I just receive GOD’s mercy and be done with this?!

Why do I have to go through these horrible times?

Doesn’t GOD love me?

He knows that I want to be good, so why can’t He just change me?

Zap me, Lord! I praise you as my Savior, now change me. I beg of you!

... I just didn’t get it... at least not yet...

You see, everyone in my life was just an obstacle to overcome.

Ever since I committed myself to the Lord,

I thought I was all of a sudden better than anyone else who faulted.

I was wiser, stronger, and had more will-power than those fools.

I wanted so badly to prove my Lord’s truth, no matter what the cost.

I wanted to put to shame the people who derailed my Lord’s name.

And I could do it, because I was a Christian!

...I was something else, but I was WAY off-kilter...

Step by step, we learn the process of how things work.

I got ahead of myself, thinking on my own, rather than listening to the Word.

It’s inevitable, though. Mistakes are necessary. That’s how we learn.

We all make fools of ourselves because of our own selfish wants.

Wouldn’t it be nice to simply get things without an effort? That’d be nice.

But then again, that wouldn’t be so nice after all...

Think about this:

How do children learn how to behave themselves?

If the parents simply ask them to stop disobeying, do they abide?

No, they continue misbehaving because there’s no repercussion involved.

If the parents do not try a different way of solving this problem,

Then the children will simply continue disobeying.

That makes sense, right?

So what’s the solution to this problem, then?

Easy... punishment. Not just punishment for vengeance,

But punishment with the intent of love.

To children, they do not see the love...

They only see the negative effects that occur immediately.

They only see the punishment.

And they don’t like it at all.

You won’t see a child agree that punishment is necessary,

Yet the parents know what’s best for the child.

If it was up to the children, they wouldn’t be punished...

They would rather go on misbehaving and creating chaos.

But they don’t see how that effects their future, and who they become.

Now think about that in dealing with your own life.

Do you see the connection?

PROVERBS 4:26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

JOSUA 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the laws my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.