Only God can turn a Mess into a Message, a Trial into a Triumph, and a Test into a Testimony!
When someone sees a rose, their natural response is probably to look at its beauty or smell its wonderful fragrance. But what would you do if you were walking through the park and stopped to smell a large patch of these beautiful roses, when along came an old grumpy hard looking person? They take one glance at these flowers and then at you. They snort and smirk as they comment,
“Do you know how annoying roses are?! They are covered in thorns and you can’t pick them. Bugs are all over and it takes so much work to take care of them. Have you ever tried to grow them? Well don’t! They require way too much effort to keep them looking nice. I had a patch in my yard and tore them all out. Eventually I hated the very look of them so much because all I could think about was how much effort it took to take care of them and they still weren’t perfect.”
And with that he stomped away, leaving you speechless and quite confused.
Did you know that by doing one simple task you could change your entire perspective on something?! I have done this multiple times and it is amazing! Though the trick is actually remembering to do it and then choosing to do so, because I normally don’t feel like doing it! But it really can turn something so ordinary into something totally extraordinary! Do you believe me?
It’s all about Perspective!
Here is a challenge for you. Think of something you really don’t like in your life right now. You got it? Okay, now THANK God for that. I know, you may be thinking, “Yeah right, you don’t know what I picked. I could never be grateful for this!” Well first off, don’t say never, and secondly, I didn’t ask you to BE grateful, I asked you to THANK God, two totally different actions.
Now the next time you think of it, thank Him for something about it. Then let it flow from there! You will be surprised, as you practice this more and more, how quickly it changes your attitude!
Here is an Example
Lord, thank you for Covid19. Thank you that it has allowed our family to spend more time together. Thank you that it has given me some rest time that I know I probably needed. Thank you that it has taught me to trust in you. Thank you that you turn all things out for my good. Thank you that you promise to take care of me.
Get the picture?
Check out Ecclesiastes 5:18 through 20.
"Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.”
How is one supposed to ENJOY and have JOY in something if all they do is criticize it and look at the negative? Everything that happens in life, EVERYTHING, has goods and bads. And if you love God, He promises to work all things out for your good.
Do you lack peace?
I don’t mean a knowledge or feeling of dependence in yourself or anyone else, I mean REAL peace! The bible says we can have a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that fills our very being, and a peace not like anything of what the world gives, but how? Philippians 4:6 tells us that we have to tell God our requests, but then THANK Him! When we thank God it puts a whole new perspective on everything! It takes our focus off of ourselves and puts it on reality, something we all seem to forget even though it stares us in the face every minute of the day.
What good are feelings if they always lie to you? We must take these feelings to Jesus and ask Him to change our perspective. But we must share our hearts with Him. We must tell Him everything and then thank Him for keeping His promises.
I challenge you to, the next time you go out for a run, whether physically or spiritually, try putting this challenge into action and watch God change your heart! And trust me, your feelings are very persuasive, so they will follow your choices ever so gratefully, filling you with a peace you’ve never had before!
WARNING: This is not a onetime thing; you must continually practice it in order to get the results you are looking for. If you ate healthy one day of your life, would you expect to be healthy the rest of your days?! Of course not, you know very well that in order to produce a healthy body that you must continually treat it right. So get out there and ask for God’s grace to begin being thankful! I promise you, ever road God takes you down is rocky and hard, but the rewards are precious and so worth the effort! I promise you, if you allow Jesus to change you, you won’t regret it!
Until next time, Happy Running Ya’ll!
Be Still and Run 