Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Letting Go of What Is Not Eternal

At the very beginning of our marriage, an awful fear came over me: What if this man I’ve just made a vow to and him to me under that big oak tree, what if he dies?


Lord, you’ve just put Michael in my life.  Please don’t take him away.  He is my security.
I wrestled over this for months, leaving the evidence of wet pillowcases behind.
Through this inner fight, I continued to pray for wisdom.  Jesus died so that I could be filled with the Spirit. He died so that I could have an intimate relationship with Him.  He hears me.  And the Spirit led me to the wisdom of His Word.
I had been reading through 2 Corinthians, and God had been working on my heart day by day, convicting me, encouraging me. When I came to 2 Corinthians 4:18, He both convicted and encouraged me about the matter I had been struggling over in my heart.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
That day, in my prayer journal, I was finally able to write this prayer:
Lord, my focus has been off. My focus has been on what is seen.  If I am focused on and living for those things, then I do have much to fear, because I will lose them. But if I live for You, I will not struggle in vain.  You are eternal.  Let me struggle for You, not the world.  You have given me good things on earth.  You have given me a wonderful husband. However, I am not to worship the gift, but the Giver.
Confession is freeing.
Michael is the single most important person in my life, but he is not eternal. And he is not my security.  Only Christ Jesus is my security.
And I could not have rest from the wrestling in my heart until my wrong thinking and God’s truth were revealed to me.  God opened my eyes and brought me comfort, because He is my eternal security.
What non-eternal things have you held onto? What scripture helped you to let go?


This post is linked to Walk with Him Wednesdays and Living Well Wednesdays.

6 comments:

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

It is so easy to hold onto those things that aren't eternal which we can see, but oh the blessings in reaching to God and eternity! :)

MrsH @ Gently Metamorphing Me said...

Hi I am a new follower:)
I have only been married 7 months and I can't bare to imagine life without MrH. Thank you for the reminder that Christ is my all in all.
God bless you!

Renee Ann said...

I stopped in from iFellowship and am following your blog. I think those battles we fight in our minds and wills are so important. Congrats on conquering yours!

I noticed that Passion and Purity is on your bookshelf. I'm an Eisabeth fan! In fact, I'm following a Heroes of the Faith online book club that is reading her book Through Gates of Splendor and then we'll discuss it on April 30th. (Details are here if you're interested http://reneeannsmith.com/a/what-you-have-heard-and-seen-in-me-do/.)

Unknown said...

Hey just a quick note to let you know I followed you from Ann's Holy Experience bloghop

Hope you'll come see me.

http://hisperfectpromises.blogspot.com/

Craig said...

I clicked over from Ann’s Walking With Him Wednesday link.

What an entry in that journal – amazing, insightful. And amen – the one we marry – they are our other human half – but there is the chord of three that binds eternally. This was rally good to read today. Thank you.

May God Bless and Keep you and all of yours this day

Zara said...

What a powerful and honest post and so well put.

Now we just have to live in the knowledge that we are complete in God alone...ah, what a challenge!

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