Some children forget that they are human too ... they are proud of who they are, of being "self-made" and rebellious against mannerly norms, and of erecting boundaries to keep out people – even their parents - who disagree with their philosophy of life. Their motto is to “Be true to thine own self”.
They have no idea about the sacrifices we parents make for them, the infinite tolerance and the flexibility and unconditional love we continually exhibit toward them, and they discard us from their life like a sack of trash as if we have no value in this world.
But ... WE know what we did for them as they were growing up, and still do for them in many cases. We know who we are, and the parental love that caused us to do our very best for them. We were not perfect, but no human being can do better than our best.
Thankfully, God gives us extended family or spiritual "children" in our lifetime that honor and respect who we are and what God gives us to share with them and the world. Often, they show us love even more deeply than our own children do. They really appreciate our value in their life.
It is good to consider if we make God feel this same disrespect and disregard when we choose to follow our own path in life rather than His predetermined will for us (Ephesians 2:10). Do we break His heart with our flirtation with sin and our desertion of our relationship with Him?
Does He feel slighted when we go our own way, fail to praise Him throughout our day, fill our life with busyness, and neglect to consult Him for His will for us (Proverbs 3:5-6)? How much praise do we shower on the Lord for His constant blessings in our life?
Do we give Him gratitude for His wondrous care for us in our life, or do we take credit for His blessings and for the ways that He uses us? He is our Almighty God, Creator, Counselor, Bread of Life, Living Water, Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am, and so on. He deserves our eternal praise and all the glory.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for watching out for all of those who seek Your face. Even if we find our self alone in the world, You are always with us, removing our fears and restoring our confidence in You (Joshua 1:9). You answered Hagar’s prayer when she and her child were cast out and all alone in the world (Genesis 16:13). You provide for us with what You know will bring us fulfillment in Your timing and way.
Your presence in our spirit is more special than anything this world offers, because Your divine nature is love personified. King David worked out his negative feelings and mental anguish by writing his Psalms. We can do this too, by journaling what we are going through. Every evening, we take an inventory of the events of the day and thank You for all the little love letters You sprinkled out for us along the way.
Thoughts for the Day:
We write down in our journal every prayer, thought, and feeling, we are experiencing. In reviewing our words, we can see what God is doing in our life, and we consult Him on how to solve unresolved issues. Full surrender to God makes such a big difference in how we view each event in our life, as well as the outcome of them. God cares about every moment of our day. He is with us even as we sleep (Psalm 3:5).
