These last few weeks have been some of the roughest for both of us. We've both been sick, you cut 2 more teeth with a 3rd close behind, and you're also going through a very intense "clingy" stage. You don't really take your usual 2 hour naps, but instead wake up after 30 minutes and wait a few minutes before screaming and won't stop until I come get you. You cry (and I mean CRY) anytime I'm not on the ground playing with you and even then sometimes aren't happy. This is not your normal temperament but it's so hard to stay encouraged since it's been over 3 weeks since this started. So, there's my few lines of venting before I get to the good news:).
It's our human nature to try and do things on our own, figure things out on our own, seek answers, sometimes asking for help but not really opening our hearts to hear God's answers. When we gave our lives to Christ, we gave him our hearts, our minds, our souls, our spirits, our human nature was removed, and we were given NEW LIFE. With all that comes our thought-life, how you look at people, situations, and circumstances. When we look at these alone, without Christ, our cynicism and negativity can be a central theme and pretty much overtake everything leaving us fearful, worried, and anxious.
Gamy said something to me so powerful the other day, "You either sing God's praises or the enemy's praises. The enemy's praises are things like fear, worry, anxiety, negativity. As soon as any of those enter your mind you're opening the door for the enemy's lies." This struck me so deeply because it's true. It IS that black and white. The moment you give way to negative thoughts, fear, worry, etc, you ARE singing the praises of the enemy leaving yourself vulnerable and exposed. We are called to "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ". This is not in the Bible as just some verse, this is something that we, as Christians, are supposed to practice, making it a part of our every day, our every minute, our every second.
These last few weeks haven't been "easy" and I haven't made them any better by being negative and basically throwing a pity party for myself. I haven't been disciplined with my thought-life and definitely haven't been leaning, as I should, on the Lord's truth and word. But, I know, the Lord works in wonderful ways and Gamy's words and a Graham Cooke sermon shot through my heart leaving it forever changed. I never want to sing the enemy's praises and now every time I think anything negative that thought pops into my head. Amazing how the Lord works and can completely transform in a matter of seconds!
Cruz, my prayer for you is that you would practice taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ, recognizing that our thoughts are a gateway to both God and the enemy. I pray that you would be wise beyond your years, putting this into practice early, with the outcome being a confident and very positive boy who loves the Lord. I pray you would be known for your positivity, a "glass half full" kind of guy, who encourages others to look at life in a positive light. I pray you would, through this gift of positivity, touch other people's lives and forever change them as just your presence has forever changed me. Cruz, I am amazed at how much the Lord uses you in my life to teach me some of his greatest lessons. I am forever thankful and eternally changed by your life. I love you, Bubba.
