Charisma Magazine

Everyone expects a few rough spots when relating to people. If you have kids, my guess is that you’ve had mud tracked in on the living room carpet, a window broken from a stray baseball and perhaps a car fender dented when your novice driver made a solo run to the grocery store.

Or maybe you’ve experienced an upset over something as minor as a family member’s missing an appointment or forgetting to take a phone message. These minor ‘bumps’ on the road of life are usually dismissed with a casual, “Oh, you’re forgiven. Forget it. It’s OK.”

Have you embraced a distorted view of yourself? Have you used the cultural standards of beauty and success to judge your worth? For the Christian, there is no such thing as self-image. We are made in God’s image to reflect His glory.

Christian self-evaluation is done as an act of responsibility. The Bible tells us how to think of ourselves and how to act. Jesus challenges us to be more like Him and less like our human nature. We understand that we are all sinners in need of redemption.

God is not as far away as we might think. In fact, He will never leave us alone to weather the storms of life. But when we have unconfessed sin in our lives or fail to spend time with Him, He seems miles apart from us. And like a small voice in a crowded room, we can hardly hear Him speak. No matter the circumstances, don't let the enemy make you believe God is some distant god. He's not. Go ahead and reach out to the Father in prayer. He may appear quiet at times but rest assured, the Holy Spirit will bear witness of His presence.

Saint Teresa of Ávila, a sixteenth-century Carmelite nun famous for her writings about contemplative prayer, once wrote to nuns in her own order, admonishing them to remember while doing their household chores that "the Lord walks among the pots and pans, helping you both interiorly and exteriorly."

Since coming across this quote, I have seldom entered my kitchen without pausing a moment to reflect upon the idea of my Lord and Savior, the great God of the universe, waiting there for me to encounter Him next to my stove or sink.

Does your busy routine of going to work, taking care of the kids and rushing off to church keep you from experiencing God in a meaningful way? Every day we should stop and take a praise break, and tell the lover of our souls thank you for being faithful and true. To listen to a prayer of thanksgiving by Sharyn Culp of His Majesty Ministries, listen to the podcast below.