Weakest part

Where or what is our weakest part?  For some this question would take an archeological dig to excavate the layers we’ve buried this beneath!  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stated, “Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality.”  Hmmm…

Too many of us stop, thinking our weakest parts is part of our outward design, meaning we think our hips are too large, our noses crooked, our teeth bucked, our waistlines bulging…but this morning I was challenged by a devotional that pointed to my heart as my weakest part.

What we take in from the world we take in through our senses (sights, sounds, tastes, smells and touch) which in turn gets filtered through our minds and many times is distorted before it finally reaches our hearts.  Our hearts are the parts of us that then send out the messages the world receives, but having gone through the above filtering process, many times the messages sent out are warped.

God wants us to open our hearts wider for Him.  In doing so, He will enable us to comprehend His truth about Himself, which will give each of us a greater, deeper, more wonderful understanding; one beyond our imagination of who He is and what He can do through us.  Each of us has a soul that longs for significance and in opening ourselves up to Him, He and He alone can satisfy the deepest yearnings because He is the one that created that space within us.

The catch is, the only way to get there is to be broken and in need of His gift.  See, what is broken to us, is beautiful to Him.  It is only in our brokenness that we reach out to take His proffered hand!

I am aware of people, caught in the throes of addictions, depression, diseases; all are calling out and some are hearing the apparent silence of God and it would make one wonder why!  Again, I will state, I’m no authority on the given subject, but the thought crossed my mind this morning, as a parent, when one of my kids did something “wrong” by my standards, it wasn’t until they were caught, that they showed their remorse.  But what was the onus behind the remorse – sadness in disappointing me or sadness at getting caught?  God is the supreme “Parent” and as any parent knows, some kids are just more ornery than others and no amount of discipline on our parts will change that child until that child sees the destruction for what it is.  No that doesn’t mean we give up, but we certainly don’t enable their behavior or make excuses, they need to feel the full consequences of their behavior.

Interestingly this past week at church, the minister related stories about our EGOs (edging God out), which I’ve blogged about before.  But as a refresher, our identities are not in our status, our cars, our homes, our friends, our jobs/careers, our toys or our families, especially our children.  We can and are supposed to teach our children, but they are free to make their own choices and sometimes they don’t make good ones.  But take that one step further…….we, (you and I) are also someone’s children, in fact more than just someone’s meaning our parents, we are God’s children!  We don’t always make good choices either and sometimes we can be just plain obstinate in our choice to NOT do something.  We do, whatever we do, to get results or a reaction and whether or not the reaction/result is positive, it is still an indication of someone paying attention to us and ultimately that is what we seem to crave…..attention, which in turn is a need for some sort of adulation, which is our EGO booster.

In the workplace, we work harder and longer as proof of our abilities to handle whatever comes at us.  As a volunteer, it may be our need to be needed but in each of these circumstances it is all about our egos and this I can state from personal experience because it aptly has described me!  Ouch!  EGO –edging God out?! 

I keep reading about God wanting me to be still and know Him and I can’t quite figure out how to just be still.  The world keeps getting in my way, beckoning me with its cheap thrills, but you see, it’s my mind that is the filter that keeps enticing me sending me false messages about the sweetness available out there, when all the sweetness I need is present inside my heart, if I would only open it wider to His possibilities.  EGO – Exalting God Only!

Our weakest parts really then become our wills, which translates into our desires, which originate in our hearts.  Are you filled to your heart’s content?

Looking up!~ Barb