My heart’s desire is to be a really, really good mom and wife. I want to be able to do it all. It’s frustrating to realize that I can’t do it all (or even a large portion of it). At least not on my own strength. I’m also realizing my overuse of the word “I”… which leads to my topic of “selfishness.” For those of you reading today’s post for real estate info, you might want to skip this one!
I’m reading a great book called What Did You Expect? by Paul David Tripp. I didn’t set out to read a book about marriage but, since our pastor said it was the best book on marriage he had ever read (and Pastor Brown reads a WHOLE lot), I thought I’d give it a whirl. It’s awesome and I highly recommend it. Sure, the book is about marriage but there is SO much more to it. Reading it has opened my eyes to the trap of selfishness. In fact, the line “Sin causes all of us to be way too self-aware and self-important” hit really close to home. Me? Selfish? I argue with myself when I start thinking in that direction. My thoughts go along these lines: But don’t I do ____? And didn’t I just _____? I’m not selfish!
While reading the book, I started thinking about the things that upset me on a daily basis. It quickly became apparent that I get upset when MY desires/ plans/ expectations are not fulfilled. The people who upset or frustrate me are not physically assaulting me or engaged in activities that could cause serious harm. They simply can’t read my mind!!
These thoughts could quickly become depressing until seen in the light of God’s transforming grace. Doesn’t 2 Corinthians promise that His strength is made perfect in our weakness?
I wanted to share a quote from the book that encouraged me tremendously: “He [God] is carefully bringing us to the end of ourselves, and is is making us into people who find joy in loving others with the same kind of costly love He has given us.”
Now that’s something to get excited about.
