Trust you to point out all the bad things I am doing!!!!
I thought I was being helpful and giving good advice. But it wasn’t taken that way. The minute I offered my suggestion, I was met with, “Mom, you always criticize us!” I didn’t even think it was criticism. I was just offering a different way of handling a situation that I thought would be met with better reception!
Do you have that one person in your life that points out your faults? Some have a way of doing it in a way that makes you appreciate them while others make you defensive and bitter!
Much as it is hard to take criticism, often we learn and grow from the experience. I know I have.
I want God to show me what is wrong with my heart and life as well. That is why I often pray, Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24)
It never fails that when I pray this prayer, then sit quietly to listen, that God always reveals wrong motives, areas where I have sinned, and changes I need to make in my attitudes. I may not like what He reveals to me, but I am always grateful that He is with me, wanting me to grow and be a better woman.
I love Philippians chapter three. Paul speaks of how we are to continually press forward towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us: that of heaven. He says we should have a mentality that we are always moving forward, drawing closer to God and focusing on eternity. Then, he says in verse fifteen, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, God will make that clear to you.”
Paul is saying that if we do not have the right mentality and focus in life, then God will show us! I love that!
Just as I try to point out things to my children to help them have better attitudes and success in life, so God will point out things to us. He does it out of love so that we will be more like Him and live ways that better glorify Him. He doesn’t just leave us floundering but encourages us, plods us along, and points out the things that need to change.
I’m so thankful that He never stops guiding and teaching me