As a blogger myself, I often read other blogs to jog my creativity, give me ideas to write about and keep in tune with the industry. So, it should come as no surprise that I have my favorites.
One that I adore is a blog called Lipstick Makes Everything Better by a girl who is a writer, reader and Christian. Arden is someone that is right up my alley! And I love that she makes me contemplate all sorts of subjects. Plus, I think she’s hysterical!
Today, she broached the subject of people who think of marriage as ‘the prize’ and how we tend to expect a relationship to define us and give us purpose, instead of working on our character regardless of our marital status.
Arden is single and makes no bones about it that she is looking for a man, but is patiently waiting on God’s choice of the litter. (Okay, I think it’s funny that I used the word litter here, but I DEFINITELY don’t think that all men are dogs!!!) Hee, hee!
I began to wonder how many of us truly allow other people to determine our identity.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
For example, am I the Meg who God created with her talents, gifts and purpose or am I the person who my husband, family and friends expect me to be. Uh. Good question.
Frequently, I think we place too much value on other’s expectations of us. We take their opinions, beliefs and attitudes and mold ourselves into the ideal person they are looking for…not necessarily who we are created by God to be.
I absolutely believe that relationships are awesome and necessary for every human being to enjoy another’s love and to give love. But, that doesn’t mean we have to lose ourselves in the process.
In fact, we aren’t theirs anyway. WE ARE GOD’S PEOPLE.
As much as I love my husband, he isn’t the first opinion I should seek.
We tend to forget that every morning before we jump into our hectic schedules we should really be asking God to give us His guidance for the day.
Of course, wise counsel is important to seek in an array of circumstances.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 12:15
But scriptures also say the following:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous…. Psalm 1:1-6
God’s opinion counts FIRST. He’s the one we are going to have to stand in front of on judgment day, not our friends and loved ones.
I encourage you to take a step back and figure out who is defining you. Is it God or others?
I hope you will place God’s Will first and reap the rich benefits of allowing Him to lead you.
Some Wisdom for Today: Proverbs 28:26 – Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
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