Testing My Words

I appreciate how the Lord will take the things we have learned and finds ways to test us in those areas. God wants the things we have learned to be a permanent fixture in our lives, not just a passing fad. He does not want His word to go in one hear and out the other. He wants His word to be living and active. He wants His word to be so much a part of our lives that when the testing comes we pull out our Biblical lessons and lean on them with all that we are. He wants us to take Him at His word. The Lord recently took me back to a previous blog post entitled “Hurts.” As I read I was reminded of some recent dealings of the Lord in my heart in this exact area. That post was about how others are going hurt us, and cut us to the deep. It’s the unfortunate part about being human. It also talks about our responsibility of responding with the heart of God in the face of our hurts. I wrote that post in the face of a situation I personally was dealing with. That post was the culmination of the things in which I had learned from that particular situation. The Lord taught me these wonderful lessons and later down the road He called me out to see if I really believed what He taught me or if I was just going to revert back to my same old ways of dealing with these situations. I was tested in this area of being hurt by others yet again. I can honestly say, I failed with flying colors! Yes, I sure did! If God had a grade book I would have received a big fat "F." But I thank God that He tested me on those words I had written because He brought me to a place where His healing waters ran deep and wide. I found myself wading in His rivers like I never have before. My lack of dealing with the hurts that had been dealt upon my broken heart caused a deep conviction to my spirit. I am so grateful that the Lord was willing to call me out and help me see that there was still more work to be done in this area.

Healing work to be done
It is hard to deal with the painful wounds that can be left behind by the carelessness of others. The Lord has taught me that it is not my job to judge them for what they did. It is not my job to hold a grudge against them. If we are really honest here, most of the time the other person doesn’t even realize that they have wounded us unless we let them know and how often is it really even our place to give them a piece of our mind? (See: "Our Defense Mechanism" to know how to respond to those who have hurt us.) Bear in mind that coddling an open wound will not allow it to heal. If we keep going to that wound and picking off the scab by rehearsing the hurt we have been dealt, that wound cannot heal! It will continue to fester and possibly get worse, if not become infected. Yes, the constant rehearsing of our hurts will keep our hearts from healing. By recently going back and revisiting that blog post “Hurts,” I realized that I am still learning this lesson.Yes, and at times I am still picking off the scab and not allowing things to heal. There is still reconstructive surgery yet to be performed on this heart of mine. I have not arrived. In fact I never will. I will, however, be just a little more aware the next time my heart is hurt. I will be just a little more aware of my thoughts, my actions and my words. I am so grateful that we serve a patient God, a God who is willing to take His time with us, a God who does not give up on us, a God who never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6). He’s still working on me. He’s still making me into the masterpiece that He has in mind for me to be.

Allow the Lord to work in your life. Allow Him to test the things He has been teaching you. Allow Him to make the things He has been teaching your heart to become a permanent part of your walk, and not just something you forget about tomorrow. God does not desire for us to live an “in one ear and out the other” lifestyle. He desires for the things that we learn to become part of us so that we can pass them along to others.

Share
I share this with you today because I want you to know that I am no expert in any area I write about here at learningirl4life. I just desire to share my heart in hopes that the Lord will use my experiences to encourage and strengthen you in your walk with Christ. We have so much to learn from one another. I encourage you to share your experiences and your heart with those around you. You have the ability to bless and encourage so many for Christ. You never know whom you might impact for eternity simply by sharing your heart.

Lord, I thank you that take the things you have been teaching us and you test us in those areas of our lives. You do not test us in spite, or to see us fail, but you test us so that we can come out the other side with these lessons as a permanent fixture in our walk with you, so that we will not easily forget the precious lessons you have taught our hearts on this journey with you. I thank you that you are not a God who leaves us to fend for ourselves, but you mold us and shape us on your potter’s wheel. You are creating a masterpiece with our lives. Masterpieces take time. Thank you for taking your time to make us right. Thank you for wanting us to be something beautiful. Continue to test us so that we can come out beautiful.