—Psalm
51:4a, (NLT).
We don't like to wait
for anything. Patience is something that is foreign. Whatever we go through, if
it involves any discomfort or pain, we want it to end immediately. Commitment
and perseverance are virtues that have fallen by the wayside. Society teaches
that whatever is wrong in my life, it is not a result of anything I have done.
“Don't blame yourself,” society insists, “someone else caused this to happen.
You couldn't help it.”
It is time that I take
responsibility for who I am, what I believe, what I say, and how I act. I am
not responsible for circumstances over which I have no control, and it would be
self-defeating to analyze the cause of each one. But I am responsible for my
own actions, and how I respond to failures and problems. Without spiritual
growth, I will never grow up to be responsible.
Spiritual growth in
Christ is convicting. It doesn't allow me to make excuses. It reveals that I
must take responsibility for my bad attitude or my fly-off-the-handle reaction.
I should learn from my failure and make every effort to not foster that
circumstance again. Spiritual maturity also teaches that the next time I am
faced with circumstances either of my own making or not of my own making, I
will react in a mature way that exhibits the fruit of the Spirit. I will respond with love.
With patience I will walk in peace and joy. With kindness I will not judge or
try to control someone else. With gentleness, I will choose to have no agenda
or something that I have to prove. With faithfulness I will remain committed to
God’s purpose and not my own. The only way that I can have the fruit of the
Spirit alive in my life is to allow my selfish attitude and desires to be
crucified with Christ. When I am willing to make this selfless journey—when I am willing to
accept responsibility for my life—when I realize that without Him I will
never be my true self—then I have begun the journey to grow deeper in Him.
Do you want to go deeper
into His Word, and His Truth? Do you want your life to be transformed by the
Holy Spirit, and your mind to be renewed? I yearn for the virtues that Peter
writes about in 2 Peter 1:3-7 to anchor my life—those spiritual qualities of diligence, moral excellence,
knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness, brotherly kindness, and
love! I choose to add these in my life, and He promises to empower each choice!
What about you? Are you tired of easy answers that offer no
lasting peace? Take responsibility for who you are, and allow Him to
continually mold your life. When commitment and perseverance are fully
developed in your life, you shall be mature and standing strong in Him (James
1:4). You will know the freedom that comes with spiritual growth and
accountability. No more masks to hide behind. No more trying to find a way to avoid
what you face. No more avoiding issues with a “who me” attitude. You will know
that where the Spirit of the Lord is, you have been set free. And when He makes
you free, you are indeed free!
© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2018/08/who-me.html
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