Alabare A Mi Senor

Alabare A Mi Senor: I Will Worship My Savior

Nothing but love...

Pamela



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Thornies


 
Who is your “Thorny?” 

Thank you Beth Moore, for this most appropriate term of endearment for someone you’re challenged to love and who absolutely drives you CRAZY!    

Your “Thorny” came with your life package, assigned by God.  You simply cannot get away from your Thorny!  

Whenever I am around my Thorny, I fight the urge to consume, in one sitting, an entire pint of Hagendaz™, flavor- Mayan Chocolate.  Or madly shop an entire afternoon, as though I’d just won the lottery.

I have a tried and tested accountability system in place when my Thorny seems particularly…thorny:

·         The smile on my face covers the gritting of my teeth. 

·         Speaking in a calm, sweet voice filters my extra sharp tongue.

·         Prayer (closed eyes) hide my pupils that are narrowing to pinpoints.

·         In my car? I have an enormous cross embossed with the Serenity Prayer hanging from my rear-view mirror that can be seen by any thorny driver within a mile radius ensuring  that everyone knows I’m not the Thorny driver!

All banter aside, truthfully,

My Thorny is someone I know does not love me, and every time I’m around them, at least once a week, I’m injured.

But, that’s the nature of my Thorny—Thornies hurt.

Now, you may be sitting there contentedly, thinking, “Not me.  Nope. I’m good—I don’t have any Thornies.” 

Well…don't get to cozy with yourself--you may not have Thornies, but you are most assuredly someone else’s Thorny! 

I am probably a lot of people’s Thorny!

I have a lot to say about difficult relationships, or loving all the Thornies -- but Jesus knew Thornies too…and commands us regarding our Thornies, teaching as only He can, in Matthew 22:37-38:

 “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your (Thorny) neighbor as yourself.” 

And  John—the master of simple words and language—very clearly tells us in 1 John 4:20,

“Whoever claims to love God, yet hates a brother or sister, is a liar.”

Ouch.

Okay moment of truth? Those 5 minutes I’m mad and frustrated with my Thorny?  I’m hating my brother or sister.

Those few seconds of anger are recorded moments in time—it’s historical, in other words.  My Father in Heaven sees those moments!  He sees that I’m a liar!

Wouldn’t it would be so easy if we could just say, “Get thee away from me, my Thorny!”

Or, what if I could take my Thorny back to the store because Thorny doesn’t fit, and receive the cash equivalent refund; although, some days I don’t think I’d receive the appropriate return on my investment…just saying!

But I can’t.  God has given me my Thorny as a precious gift!  My Abba Father in Heaven is watching me!  He is aware of my every move.  Why do I think it's a secret when I curse my Thorny?

We are all God’s children, and as such, part of the same family: God’s family.  Difficult relationships and situations are essential ingredients God uses to build character in His children.  And each of us bring unique, important, valued gifts into His family.

He commands us to “bear one another in love.”  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”  Romans 12:4-5. 

So, this is how I love my Thorny, in the midst of all the conflicting and emotions that my Thorny stirs up within me:  I remember this verse and these two things:

1.         Hurt people, hurt people. Bear one another in love.

2.       We are all just walking each other home. “One body, and each member belongs to all the others...” 

“We are all just walking each other home.”

God didn’t promise us perfect soul mates and family members.

And let’s face it, we’ve made far too many life choices without first consulting the Heavenly Father and seeking His divine direction, so some of our Thornies are our own gifts to ourselves…but they ARE gifts, nonetheless.

Some of our Thornies are very devout followers of Christ.  That doesn’t make them any less Thorny to us.  The first church in Acts, oh my goodness, am I the only one who longs for that unity?  Acts 2:44  All the believers were together and had everything in common.” 

Oh for that unity! I would be thrilled if my devout-follower-of-Christ Thorny loved me enough to help walk me home! I would love for my Thorny and I to be able to cohabitate this incredible walk with Jesus together!!

Well, it could happen…!

We are all just walking each other home... I must always, ALWAYS tread carefully and tenderly. When my Thorny makes me want to eat forbidden ice cream, I thank God my Thorny doesn’t drive me to drink!

When my Thorny affects my job, my finances, my health (not counting few extra pounds from the ice cream)—I must not leave them alone in their walk, I must minister to them.  Serve them.  I must find a way to love on that Thorny!

Your Thorny may be overwhelmed by their own thornies:  illness, divorce, addiction, making their behavior hard to understand—harder still to pray for—pray anyway.  Pray for ways to serve your Thorny!  We are all just walking each other home.

When your Thorny situation seems helpless, it’s not!  God is giving you all kinds of gifts in the form of trial—pray for understanding and clear-headedness, and discernment in ways to serve your Thorny. 

We are all just walking each other home!  That means we are not alone in our Thorny struggle!  And here’s a thought:  At the same time you’re praying for your Thorny, simultaneously, you may rest assured, someone else is praying for you…Thorny girl.

You know, there is no way to gauge another’s Thorny situation.  We don’t get to say one person is struggling more than another.  I don’t get to tell myself, “Hey, my Thorny has it a lot better than me, she’ll just have to get along without me right now.  Time for me to get some ministry!”  That is not how we walk each other home.

We walk each other home, by serving, and loving, and being burdened for our Thornies.  We can’t give up on them.  Jesus doesn’t give up on me—praise God!!!

His love is always there, no matter how Thorny I am—I know, Jesus is walking me home.

You know what?  One day?  My Thorny will recognize my relationship to Jesus.  They may not always grant me their approval—but my behavior in everyday situations will get my Thorny’s attention.  My love for Jesus will show! And my Thorny will experience that love because of how I, empowered by the Holy Spirit, have behaved amidst the thorns!

His Kingdom has lots and lots of beautiful flowers, perfectly formed roses…with THORNS.  While I’m walking my Thorny home, I’m helping to build His Kingdom.  Jesus is with me each step of the walk home.  He never leaves me.  There is no limit to His love for me, even when I am so Thorny and ugly.

His love never fails, never.  He is with me all the way home.

 “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day; for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  2 Corinthians 4:16-17