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Turning Away from the Gloom

I am prone to say God's ways are just the opposite of the rules taught by the world. That's incorrect. God has it right and the world has it backwards.

Stuff happens to all of us. There's not just the yucky stuff, but there's cool stuff as well and we tend to react accordingly bringing ourselves into a state of gloom and doom during yucky times while we love everything and everyone when life seems rosy.

Now, what happens if we turn ourselves, our thoughts, around? If I sit on a pile of yuck and scream, "I've won!! I have conquered this yuck! It does not control me, I am stronger than any yuck sent my way because I have refused any hold it has on me--it's not mine and it cannot own me!! I will do the things God calls me to do and let him handle this yuck."

As we turn our thoughts and energies to productive activity, totally ignoring the yuck, we see our fortunes begin to turn just as Lettie Cowman describes, "God has so ordered, that in pressing on in duty we shall find the truest, richest comfort for ourselves. Sitting down to brood over our sorrows, the darkness deepens about us and creeps into our heart, and our strength changes to weakness. But, if we turn away from the gloom, and take up the tasks and duties to which God calls us, the light will come again, and we shall grow stronger."

Today, I faced one of those situations which bring on gloom and doom--remember the emotional tailspin after a job interview and before you know whether you messed up? This was a part time job which dovetails with my community service commitment. When I first learned of the job, I thought I really wanted it. I had begun to build my pre-interview stress level when the spiritual messages began to arrive. I was reminded God has a plan and His plan does not always fit what I think I want; concerns the job would take too much of my time from The Living in Simple Faith house began to mount.

I realized I was creating a pile of yuck; my next question was, "Did I want to sit on it or did I want to wash it away?" Last night I asked God to please decide, with His wisdom, whether the job was right by controlling whether I was offered the position. Today I went into the interview, confident God would control the situation. Having experienced more than one situation/interview where the right words were put into my mouth at the right time, I was confident He would provide the right words IF this was the right choice.

He did not help me. I ran out of words more than once. Since I had turned it over to Him and my ego was no longer on the line, I spent an hour conversing with an enjoyable group of people who shared my commitments and passions. If I were yucking around tonight, I'd not be writing this piece; I'd be stroking my bruised ego.

There is such joy in the light.

"The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes." --Psalm 19:8, New International Version (NIV)

Jane Mullikin
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