Dear Grace,
It's been a little while since I had anything I felt like I could write about, but after some recent learning experiences, I thought I would share what I could of some things that have been on my mind of late.
It's been a little while since I had anything I felt like I could write about, but after some recent learning experiences, I thought I would share what I could of some things that have been on my mind of late.
For a long time now, I'd been struggling to find answers to my prayers and questions. I was dealing with a lot of hurt inside, and admittedly I was filled with a lot of anger. The longer I didn't gain any understanding or answers, the more hurt I felt, and the angrier I became with God. Eventually I became so impatient and frustrated that I started acting out of anger.
Through certain experiences, I eventually got pretty beaten down emotionally, and strangely not too much later I started getting answers to my questions. I couldn't understand why God was choosing to speak to me now, when I had been acting like a child throwing a tantrum. I eventually came to realize that it was because I didn't have any anger left in me. Granted, circumstances had more or less beaten that anger out of me, but I was finally in a place where I was humble enough to listen.
It's strange that I should forget that humility is the key to inspiration. I recently studied what it means to be humble. I'd always associated humility with phrases like "Oh, I'm nothing special," or "I'm not that great," as though being humble was recognition of being imperfect. But really, to be humble means you're teachable.
It doesn't imply a lot of negative self-talk to keep you from being proud. On the contrary, I think we need to recognize our worth and walk around every day with the idea in mind of "I'm a child of God; therefore, I'm freakin' dope!"
But while you should recognize that you are good and of worth, it's also equally important to understand that you're never done learning or improving yourself. To be humble means your heart and mind are open to answers and solutions that might differ from your own. And let's be honest, have you ever been very teachable when you're angry?
So my advice to you today is this: don't give God the silent treatment. Be real with Him when you talk to Him. Tell Him when you're angry - with Him or otherwise; tell Him when you're hurt; tell Him when you don't trust Him, or when you have doubts; but most importantly, go to Him with these things with the intent in your heart to problem solve.
What I mean is, don't go to Him when your anger is at its peak and demand answers, and then conclude that He's not listening when you don't get anything. For example, I recently got very angry at Hannah for something, oddly enough, and I refused to talk to her until I knew I had calmed down enough to think and speak reasonably. Had I chosen to speak with her while I was still fuming, it wouldn't have mattered what she said to me; I would have turned any explanation she might have offered against her.
Pain and anger are powerful tools the adversary uses against us to get us to turn away from God, and if he can use them together, they make for a very destructive force to reckon with. It becomes very difficult to break away, and takes a long time to rebuild if you fall victim to this trap.
I love you Gracie, and I hope you're doing well.
All my love,
<3 Katie Jo
Through certain experiences, I eventually got pretty beaten down emotionally, and strangely not too much later I started getting answers to my questions. I couldn't understand why God was choosing to speak to me now, when I had been acting like a child throwing a tantrum. I eventually came to realize that it was because I didn't have any anger left in me. Granted, circumstances had more or less beaten that anger out of me, but I was finally in a place where I was humble enough to listen.
It's strange that I should forget that humility is the key to inspiration. I recently studied what it means to be humble. I'd always associated humility with phrases like "Oh, I'm nothing special," or "I'm not that great," as though being humble was recognition of being imperfect. But really, to be humble means you're teachable.
It doesn't imply a lot of negative self-talk to keep you from being proud. On the contrary, I think we need to recognize our worth and walk around every day with the idea in mind of "I'm a child of God; therefore, I'm freakin' dope!"
But while you should recognize that you are good and of worth, it's also equally important to understand that you're never done learning or improving yourself. To be humble means your heart and mind are open to answers and solutions that might differ from your own. And let's be honest, have you ever been very teachable when you're angry?
So my advice to you today is this: don't give God the silent treatment. Be real with Him when you talk to Him. Tell Him when you're angry - with Him or otherwise; tell Him when you're hurt; tell Him when you don't trust Him, or when you have doubts; but most importantly, go to Him with these things with the intent in your heart to problem solve.
What I mean is, don't go to Him when your anger is at its peak and demand answers, and then conclude that He's not listening when you don't get anything. For example, I recently got very angry at Hannah for something, oddly enough, and I refused to talk to her until I knew I had calmed down enough to think and speak reasonably. Had I chosen to speak with her while I was still fuming, it wouldn't have mattered what she said to me; I would have turned any explanation she might have offered against her.
Pain and anger are powerful tools the adversary uses against us to get us to turn away from God, and if he can use them together, they make for a very destructive force to reckon with. It becomes very difficult to break away, and takes a long time to rebuild if you fall victim to this trap.
I love you Gracie, and I hope you're doing well.
All my love,
<3 Katie Jo
