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“Today is a multiple cups of tea sort of day made better by the presence of a sweet friend.”
A stark memory rests in my mind from when I was a little girl that remains, from a woman in my life (I’ll call her Frau Grumpy).
She followed most of life with clouds hanging over her demeanor — complaining, carrying around an Eeyore sort of "chip on her shoulder." She never ceased to sigh deeply. Supposedly she had been a "committed" Christian since childhood. Yet, she always made me feel discouraged when I would go to her home as a child. Her spirit depleted those of us who had to spend time with her and made me feel that it would be easy to disappoint her because everything around her did not meet up to her standards.
Recently, I was having a quiet time with the Lord. He brought her to mind. I realized that this woman had high ideals, but her ideals did not include having a grateful, contented heart. The spirit she cast was one of complaining, whining.
In this fallen world, it is easy to become disappointed with much around us — the media, the television shows, the movies, politics, disasters, lack of morality in our leaders, economic crisis, people who compromise or are immature, disappoint us, and on and on. Many of us have difficult circumstances to bear. Others have an ill child. Marriage can be a place of strife and loneliness. Christians and family members can be our harshest critics. Life can be extremely taxing. Working through these obstacle courses of life can deplete us. These caused me considerable depression at times.
But what we practice daily when we face these trials will determine, to some degree, the legacy and memory we leave to those who know us well.
We must come to the conclusion at some point, that this is the "broken" place. This is the sphere in which sinful ones have separated themselves from God's original design. Here, Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may destroy. We should live to expect this as the place of warfare for the kingdom of God, and take up our arms as His soldiers to fight our battles with courage and faith.
More on today’s Tea time Tuesday podcast: gratitude and grace, a Bee Keeper book, recipes, fun!