SelahV Today by hariette petersen

"Even When It Hurts..."

...you keep on keeping on.

By doing so, you please God and fulfill your promises and commitment to Him. He sees when others do not.  He understands when others don't.  He hears when others are deaf to your needs.  He gives grace when others fail you, mock you, ridicule you, accuse you, attack you, or treat you with disdain.

IT WAS FROM THIS MORNING'S SERMON, the question was posed from Psalms 15:
"LORD, who may stay in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?"

Amid the other parts of the sermon, the portion that stood out to me was, he "who keeps his word even when it hurts".

No matter what the world dishes out, what people do to us, what circumstances present in our lives... the thing that matters to God, is those of us who promise Him something and keep on working towards fulfilling that promise... "EVEN WHEN IT HURTS".

1LORD, who may stay in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

2The one who lives with integrity,

who does righteous deeds,

and who speaks truth to himself.

3The one who does not slander with his tongue,

who does no evil to his neighbor,

and who does not destroy his friend’s reputation.

4The one who despises those who are utterly wicked,

but who honors the one who fears the LORD,

who keeps his word even when it hurts and does not change,

5who does not loan his money with interest,

and who does not take a bribe against those who are innocent.

The one who does these things will stand firm forever."

[Love biblehub.com.  They are such a help in comparing the versions of Scripture. Use it when you are studying or researching a passage. You're sure to love it, too.]

Eternity Thought:

When you do the right thing for all the right reasons and do not see fruit from your labor...

do not be discouraged--

eternity is a long time;

it may take a while for results to be visible and rewards to catch up to you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Just do the right thing...be kind, be generous, be loving... "as unto the Lord".  He sees. He knows. And it is a sweet fragrance to Him.

Sometimes We Make Mistakes

And when we do, we have to live with the consequences of our choices. 

I'm not talking about the things we do that are wrong, or choices made with evil intentions.  I'm talking about making a decision and finding out afterwards that it was the wrong decision... the wrong choice. 

Poor discernment.

In my case, I let the mercy within me take me on an emotional decision-making experience that turned out to be the wrong choice.  Today I am very sad about it.  I'm sad it didn't work out.  I'm sad I have failed to be what I thought I could be.  I'm sad that it appears as though there is nothing I can do to fix the unfixable.

But the worst feeling is that I have come to a point where I find I cannot love the unlovable.  I am beyond weak.  I am without excuse or answer.

Sometimes we are forewarned. Friends advise us. They counsel us and caution us. But we think we know best. Sometimes we must admit we were very, very wrong and everyone else was right. SIGH... it's hard to accept we can be soooo wrong when we thought we were doing so right.

I'm not sure where God is taking me on this journey. I'm not sure if I can right it.  Or if I'm suppose to simply live with it. Until I figure this out, I will wait.  I will wait upon the Lord till He renews my strength... till tomorrow when He gives me new mercies to meet the morning.  I will keep acknowledging Him and wait for Him to direct my path. 

My eyes are clouded, my mind is mush, my heart is cold, my spirit is hungry... and I'm so sad.  And broken.  Yet maybe not broken enough.