we're all pointing somewhere

i'd like to be a real girl,
a down-to-earth, honest, genuine girl.

i'd like to shower folks with love,
kindness, listening, camaraderie, truth.

i'd like to do this without pointing to me;
i want to be the real deal with people and love them without being the focus.

i'd like to live in such a way that others receive good fruit from me,
but they all realize its source is not my own heart,
it's Christ.

We are all pointing to something, someone, somewhere.
I have the option of pointing to my circumstances, whether happy or dire.

I have the option of pointing to myself, to what I think I've accomplished,
to the cookies I bake, the blankets I crochet, the children I teach, blah blah blah.

Or, I have the option every time of pointing to Christ.
Here's how I am today, and here is where I am with Jesus,
what He's teaching, how He showed His faithfulness and mercies again this morning,
how He is loving me through this dark valley.

If I want to worship Jesus, I focus on Him;
if I want those around me to worship Him, my role is to do what I can to point to Him, not me.

It's one thing for me to be honest about how I'm doing; it's another thing to distract people from God while talking about myself.

Our circumstances are not for us to glean sympathy or pity from others but to glorify Christ and show Him as faithful to others in the midst of our circumstances.

We are commanded to face our difficulties and trials with joy...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  James 1:2-4

O, Lord, do this through me; I need You desperately.