Lesson Learned :)

There was a chapter in my book called Lessons Learned, and I admitted these "lessons" were still a work in progress.
Today, I do "feel" (and I know our feelings are not always reality, but I think these feelings are) free of a huge burden I have carried - I do believe I have learned a lesson.

Trying to avoid those individuals who make life difficult - in fact, individuals who admittedly do not like us and side with the enemy's opinion of us - is not the answer. As I have fought a battle of trying to please someone who is always mean/rude to me - I decided to avoid contact with them. But, thrust into contact recently, I spent the next day trying to figure out how I could avoid this happening again. I spent way too much brain time on someone who is currently not nice and my desire to avoid them.
After talking to Our Lord about how to remedy this, He simply reminded me that I had judged them. I had expected the treatment I had received in the past and had hoped to protect myself from it in the future - instead of asking Him to bless them and releasing them over to Him.

In other words - in trying to protect myself, I wasted a lot of time. I could have spent the next day singing the Lord's praises instead of focusing on a person who was mean/rude - and how to protect myself. I think I was dwelling on the negative in one relationship instead of focusing on the positive in my favorite relationship!

So, the freedom I feel - it is wonderful! I feel like I can be around anyone - and "feel" accepted and loved - because I spend my brain time being loved by a wonderful God who is always with me - always smiling down on me - always waiting for me to focus on Him. And, my brain time is my choice - - what you focus on is your choice, too :)

May God bless each of us with more of His love so that HE can be our focus.

For Jesus' Glory,
Mary