You know the type!  Their life appears to be too good to be true and their relationships look perfect.  Sometimes I just need to know people are real:  they have struggles, have an occasional spat with their spouse and even question God from time to time, or just have a bad day.

As I was preparing to teach a class, I became overjoyed reflecting on God’s goodness in my life.  I just couldn’t help myself.  He is so incredible!  He doesn’t need me.  Yet, He allows me to serve Him and calls me to love on people.  He has even equipped me to do so.

Before I stood to teach, I prayed and asked God to help me contain my joy.  I wanted to “Serve the Lord with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2) but I feared I had turned into that obnoxious person who gets on people’s nerves because of my elevated state of gladness.

I can rejoice and be completely genuine in my service to Him knowing “God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.”  Acts 17:25

Are you serving the Lord with gladness?  I warn you, if you spend time reflecting on who He is and how He has & is working in your life you too may need to work to contain your joy!

Copyright©2017, Gloria Stucky

Photo by Seth Doyle/Unsplash

Heading out the front door for work I discovered my keys were missing.  I am insanely persistent to place them in their proper place since wasting time looking for items makes me crazy.  The moment invested in depositing an item in its proper place saves me the future headache of searching.

My keys had just arrived in the mail the day before.  My husband had taken them as a spare set on our out-of-state road trip and accidentally left them behind.  They were missing for a week which was incredibly inconvenient and now the very next day after their return they are missing AGAIN.  I felt frustrated, “Where did HE put my keys?”

Then something humbling happened!  I remembered I had gone outside 5 minutes earlier to start my car for warm up.  My missing keys were in the ignition right where I had left them!  Instant conviction flooded over me.  The Lord would no longer allow me to deny the bitterness I had allowed to take root in my heart.  I was embarrassed by my own ugly sinfulness.  I felt so indignant toward him yet I was the problem.

I was self-righteous as if I never make mistakes or disappoint.  I can assure you that is not the case.  This girl errors regularly.  I was holding him to a double standard.  I want to be forgiven but I didn’t want to forgive him of his perfectly normal mistake just because it had caused me such inconvenience.

My mind filled with Jesus’ words, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:31.  I am called to love my husband as I would want him to love me.  I definitely want him to forgive me of my mistakes and not hold grudges or be bitter.  I’m so thankful for a Savior who loves me enough to correct me and call me out on my sinfulness!

Has someone made a mistake that has inconvenienced you?  Are you holding it against them or harboring bitterness?  Could you reflect on your own lack of perfection and consider forgiveness?

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:47 NKJV

Copyright©2017, Gloria Stucky

Photo by Katy Belcher/Unsplash