Meadowsweet

My meditation of Him shall be sweet;
I will be glad in the Lord.
~Psalm 104:34~

“The spirit of offense will give to you
the ability to hear things that were not said.”
“The Power is in Priorities: Success Without Sorrow”
~Bill Johnson~

This meadow herb was historically used for strewing at weddings and making bridal garlands, due to its aromatic fragrance. Perhaps we can learn from this redolent herb, to strew our stresses with praise and  

“whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.”
~Philippians 4:4-9~

It’s important to note that our posture of praise should not shift with our circumstances. Integrity of heart means our heart for the Lord clings ever more in times of difficulty. It’s in these times of character testing that that our hidden source of strength can be proved. Take a look at David, who “even though he already possessed a heart for the Lord, was led into years of testing that groomed him to handle the glory and responsibility of the throne” (Strengthen Yourself in the Lord, Bill Johnson, p. 19).

I also think of Gideon, a new “up-start” who was “sent in the strength” that he had, and then I think of Saul, whose fear of man cost him not only his position but his life. When God calls me to step into a new role that challenges me, I must go “in the strength” I have, believing that He doesn’t call the equipped, but He will equip those He calls. I must also resist to take on the mantle of fear of man and their opinions of how I lead or influence others around me. If He places you in a position of influence, be prepared for some onslaught of opinions that differ from yourself. In the midst of rejection and being misunderstood, David overcame some “seriously bad days” by doing one thing:  But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6). “God gave him the strength to master his own distress, look past the offense of his men’s rejection, and rally them together” (Johnson, p. 23). We, too, can learn to lean into the Father for His purposes to be accomplished through us, and thereby allow a “corporate blessing” to be released through us.

The bottom line? Don’t partner with offense or emotionally inflammatory comments, and do not be “consumed with the grief of others not being pleased with us” (Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, Lysa TerKeurst). Trust that the Lord will smooth out those rough days as you strew them with the sweet fragrance of praise and thanksgiving!

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.”
~Isaiah 42:16 NIV~

“A moment’s silence,
when some irritating words are said by another,
may stem a very small thing;
yet at that moment it is your one duty,
your one way of serving and pleasing God,
and if you break it,
you have lost your opportunity.”
~H.L. Sidney Lear~