Stress is not a game. The thing about stress when you know Him is that you can have peace in any situation. Not "oh its all going to work out the way I want it to" peace but peace like "I'm going to be ok even though this is hard." Remember when I talked about God putting people in places where you need them to be. He did that for my bestie cause she'd been good to all these other teachers in the county and been involved so when she needed to get the very best each high school principal had for her kids....she could. That's how Jesus can often make a way. It isn't what you wanted but its what you needed to get it done.
One thing my mentor is huge on is taking care of yourself. When I tell you she always had a fresh set of nails, a fresh pedi, fresh color, and a fresh relaxer.....I'm tell you no lie. That's taking care of herself for her. But she's also big on doing the work. Doing the work is so critical. However that needs to look for you, including therapy, she's here for it. I love that advice. I carry it with me all the time. I can hear her say so clearing "Make sure you take care of yourself." I'm glad Shannon is doing that and I'm glad I can step in to roughhouse with my soon to be 4 year old godson. But the piece that so vital is you got to actually do it.
Romans 6:4-5
We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] liveand behave in newness of life.
5 For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God].
I think its so important to think critically about what happened on the cross for you and I. I'm so humbled by the sacrifice made for my sins. Additionally, the peace where we are raised with Christ must be addressed. Ummmm LIFE! Yea we got that when He got up early on the 3rd day. Jesus coming back means we too can have newness of life. When you belong to Him, you've got a right and an inheritance to a life well lived. What I can't get enough of is how life is different when you know that you know. I know Him for myself and that changes everything. Even when things look one way, I know God is doing something that's going to be good for me...on good days. It doesn't matter what it looks like someone may be doing because God's got that. He sees that and He's going to make it right for me. Now that's my good day perspective. I'm definitely not always that aware. Often, I'm looking at something going "they're using me" and then in hindsight I see that "He was using me." A little distance can alter the view so tremendously. Wait on Him.
Romans 6:11
Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.
Guilt will tear you down. It will eat at your insides. It can destroy you. And sometimes even when you know "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" that doesn't help. All of this won't help if you don't believe it. Belief...faith.... are the foundation of relationship with God. You've got to believe. You've got to believe even when you look at it and you feel like there is no way He could forgive you that He can. We are alive with Him. That's a bond that is unbreakable. Even when its hard, we've got to keep telling ourselves the truth. The truth is...He loves you. He died for you. You're His beloved. All things work together for the good.....
Romans 6:14
For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].
Can I offer that in light of His forgiveness, you could offer a little to yourself? I think so often we condemn ourselves for things and refuse to grant ourselves a modicum of grace or understanding. I know I've done that with myself. I didn't have any grace for myself with getting into med school. None....but can I tell you that when they accepted my defense with revisions I sulked for about 5 minutes and then I was like "GUESS WHO'S A PhD?!?!?!" He'd taught me grace through our relationship so I could extend some to myself. Additionally, the grace He's taught me can be extended to those I love the most almost unconsciously. I had no idea the amount of understanding I've extended until my friends were basically like "There is no way I could do what you do. No way." I had no idea how drastically He'd changed my capacity for grace until I'd been told about it by other people.
His grace is so sufficient that I think when you know Him for yourself, you can extend grace easier. I know exactly how wrong I am and I know He loves me anyway so when you're wrong, I'm trying to do that with you too. I don't always succeed but I'm trying. I think sometimes about the really hard times I've had in one relationship that I'm still in (didn't realize it was working for my good and it did but I still had feelings in there) and grace is the reason I don't need any further explanation. I've been given so much grace that I've got some to give.
Romans 6:16
Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?
Come on scripture! This is so true. That to which you submit is the thing you're obeying. So the critical piece here is that you've got to be obeying the right thing. Being obedient in writing the blog is good for me. Its a place that leads to righteousness for it. It also helps me face my day cause the outside world is crazy. When I leave this bed I need to be ready. Being obedient to what the Spirit says is also life giving. That doesn't mean I don't ever have conflict. Sometimes the walking out God's will thing looks different for me than it would for someone I trust and love. I've got to know what's required of me. The part you have to make sure you're being obedient appropriately in. Now if someone who's Jesus I trust doesn't agree, I seriously take that back to God but I don't change what I'm doing unless God says so.
As my mentor says "To those who much is given, much is required. That's you!"That's critically important in mentoring. Everyone who has been seriously mentored or mentors knows that there's an obedience piece in there that requires both parties to be on top of it. See that type of obedience is good as well because God uses people and places them in your life so that you can be edified and shored up. I've just had to make sure I'm listening to the right people about the right things. Someone who is great with you on your professional development might not be qualified for a conversation about personal matters. Know that and embrace that. I promise if you pray for someone to talk to about it, He'll bring them right on in. Lord knows, I've found myself in conversations that ended with hugs and tears that I didn't think I should be having.
Romans 6:18
And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).
There's something ooey gooey good about know that He's making you more like Him. There are places in me that He's stretched and made better and more malleable just like He is. My capacity for grace....Let me tell you. I use to have none. My mentor taught me about it some but God's grace toward this young thug makes me much more patient with other folks.
You know what else He's done? This one is a doozy. The things that are His will for me, that I didn't even want a year ago, are so very exciting to me. He changed my thoughts towards them. I remember knowing that His will for me was Howard and I was not excited initially. I'd never wanted to live in DC, it was going to be expensive, and I wanted to go somewhere in the South. I'd been pretty clear about wanting a different school. Can I offer that over time, my excitement about Howard has grown exponentially....not so much so that I'll be singing their alma mater because I'm still a Hamptonian, but I'm definitely excited for the next adventure.
He changed my heart's attitude towards what He had for me. And now when I look back I can see how He did it. I think it was the waiting honestly. I had to wait on that acceptance that I thought was automatic and that right there made me want it more. Anything I've ever had to wait on from God has made me value it that much more. Oh the waiting Jesus.....it'll do something in you that instant gratification never will.
Romans 6:22
But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.
Freedom is so amazing because its the exact opposite of everything that was my life before I really knew Him. I've known Him a long time but knowing who He is and knowing Him for myself are so different. So different. Because I know Him for myself....I'm overwhelmed by who He is. The sheer magnitude of God is unfathomable. He's holy and He's jealous for my heart? Really? I'm humbled that He calls me His own and He loves me. He loves even me. I don't consider myself holy but I know that in the end....this worship thing I do every morning will be my every single day all day thing. And I'm also hoping for calorie free food in heaven. Yup....biscuits. All the biscuits. And cobbler...but just the crust and the gooey part. And cookies...let me stop. He's working on me y'all and He's working on you too. I love Him, I do. He's worthy. He's been better to me than I've ever conceived of being to myself. He is.
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