Live Oak — Happy New Year!  As the clock ticks away the final moments of 2011, I want to challenge you to a year-end project:

First, take a moment to recall some of the blessings of the past year.  Smile over them, cry over them, share them with others, write them down (if you like), and then give thanks for how they added to your life.  

Next, take another moment to think about the inevitable struggles and hardships of the past year.  Naturally, we often just want to store those unpleasant memories away and hope never to see them again! However, experience teaches that we usually learn much more from hard times than easy ones, so we potentially “waste” wisdom by not being willing to analyze times of adversity in our lives.



    If we are honest, this kind of reflection is uncomfortable, often because it reveals how much we contribute to the controversy in our lives. It makes us feel better (at least temporarily) to blame others and shuck the responsibility of our own choices and actions.  While thinking on these things and asking God to inspect my own heart over some recent struggles, I read Psalm 37.  Verses 5-8 were especially insightful:

    

    “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

 the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil.”



    The use of the word “fret” several times in these verses caught my eye.  Our English definition implies irritation or agitation.  Indeed, we use this word to encourage others not to “fret” over minor inconveniences.  The original Hebrew translation, however, is a much stronger word.  According to the Key Word Study Bible, “Harah” means “to burn, to be angry, incensed; points to the fire or heat of anger just after it has been ignited.” This gave me the mental image of the intensity of a match immediately after it catches fire.  The Holy Spirit brought to mind several times this past year when I did this kind of fretting.  Even when we fret over a “just cause” God warns us to refrain from this kind anger that would lead us into evil.  Fretting indulges us to take matters into our own hands instead of waiting on the Lord.  Not only is this a waste of time, it also has the potential to take a small problem and make it into a huge mess!  Anyone out there besides me guilty of useless fretting?

Looking ahead, after reflecting on this passage I felt God invite me to the challenge of verse five instead of making a list of New Year’s Resolutions: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him…” because if I take Him up on this challenge, He has promised to hold up His end.  According to this verse, if I commit my motives and intentions (my way) to Him, He will defend them.  This means I won’t have to waste time fretting over them…and I sure like the sound of that!



Because Every Heart Matters,

Angie



Heart Matters is a weekly column written by Angie Land, Director of the Family Life Ministries of the Lafayette Baptist Association, where she teaches bible studies, leads marriage and family conferences and offers biblical counseling to individuals, couples and families.  Contact Angie with questions or comments at angieland3@windstream.net