all about me

i introduced rubber chicken nuggets in my last post and threatened - er.. promised! - that more nuggets were coming. i feel it is important to mention as i had previously that these are born out of personal convictions and challenges. any similarities to anyone whether real or imagined are not intended nor sought. however, if you happen to see yourself mirrored in these, perhaps Someone is trying to tell you something.

rubber chicken nugget #2
i, eye, aye

stop bragging, for goodness' sake. sometimes we brag and we don't even know it because we are so conditioned to make a name for ourselves. i got convicted over this when i realized that populating my conversation with things that i knew or did or accomplished didn't increase the value of that conversation one iota. it simply served to increase my value.

that's not what i want to be about. i want to be about making Jesus' name great. not my own.

since i've been working on it internally, my eyes have opened to it externally, and it is everywhere.

i get quizzed on the title, artist and release date of each song that plays on the radio in order to show how little i know and how much others know. that is neither fun for me, nor is it appealing of the other person.

feeling like i have value and that i have intelligence has been a life-long struggle for me. and while i continue to struggle, i am delighted to say that God is doing a work in me over this and stays my tongue on many an occasion when it would really like to wag about in honor of me.

did someone mistakenly think you did something (or failed to do something)? does it really matter in the long run whether or not you set them straight? let it go. (if it does, by all means, make it right!!)

does someone have an opinion about you, your work, or your hobby that may portray you in a light you feel isn't representative of "you"? will it change your status with the Lord Almighty? it doesn't require a response.

are you mentioning something in order to display what you know? is that what you want to propel your mouth into action? it doesn't need to be said.

and one may feel that it is limiting to hold your tongue, but on the contrary it is really quite freeing! i find that i am fretting less over what people think of me and am letting God be my judge. through His son i know i am set right before Him. i can't make that same claim with anyone else.

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

btw - i did this just today and was immediately so painfully aware that i once again tried to aim the spotlight at me. sigh. will i ever learn? my only consolation is the awareness in and of itself and a desire to eliminate this need within myself. thank God i have Him to rely upon as i prove to be inadequate when handling it on my own.