"And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right." - 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Jesus,
For so long I didn't always do the right thing. More often then not I did what was easy, what was convenient, what felt good to my flesh. And after a while it's as if I didn't know how to do the "right" thing anymore. It felt impossible. I would be good for a while, 2 weeks maybe 3 and then mess up again. But it was that kind of thinking that in the end ended up costing me a lot. It cost me my relationship, it cost me my joy, it cost my my peace... it cost me everything.
When I was in high school making the wrong choices, cost me to have an unplanned pregnancy at 17. Then the abortion I had to "fix" it, cost me years of guilt, shame and heavy drug addiction. And all why....because I got tired of doing the right thing.
Then later on in my mid twenties, it cost me my relationship. What started out so pure, so innocent, what was birthed in prayer then fell to pieces, why....because we got tired of doing the right thing.
I have read countless blogs about spouses who have grown tired of doing the right thing and it has led them to affairs, deceit, shame, and a lot of pain.
So many times I had heard that couples who have sex before marriage increase their odds of divorce by something like 50%. I used to wonder how in the world that was possible but now I understand. Just because you stand in front of a whole lot of people, recite vows and put on a ring doesn't mean you instantly are a new person. It's not like you go from being the person who does what's convenient (having sex before marriage) to then all of a sudden by magic become the person who does the right thing. The person who doesn't want to feed their flesh. Sure, now you wouldn't be having sex outside of marriage but then maybe that becomes something like a shopping addiction, not being able to say no to that new shirt or tie or whatever. Or maybe it turns into a porn addiction that begins while your spouse is out of town. Or worse, a full blown affair.
Jesus, I think you put this verse to remind us, that yeah even though it isn't always easy, never tire of doing the right thing...in all aspects of your life. There are so many times that I wonder, had I made the decision to not tire of doing the right thing, maybe I would be somewhere else right now. I wouldn't have had to suffer through an abortion, drug addiction....and maybe just maybe I would be married to the man of my dreams.
But my God isn't a God who stops, or gives up on me because I made a wrong choice. No, He is the God of restoration. Jesus, help me to be strong and to not tire of doing the right thing. There are times now in my life where I think to myself, maybe I should do this, or maybe I should do that because that would make "this moment" or "this season" go by a lot easier. But then where does that lead me, back to square one.
And just like how it is in grade school, you can't pass from one grade to the next until you have passed the courses. You can't go from 9th to 10th grade if you failed all your classes.
Jesus, I don't want to fail you this season. I am different. I am new. I am restored. And with you I can do all things. And then maybe, just maybe, the desires of my heart for my life, the prayers that I have prayed will come true.
Right now I'm not a mom, but one day I will be and I want to teach my children about having self-control, about being patient and never tiring of doing the right thing. No matter how many around them are doing the wrong things, they won't be children that succumb to peer pressure. No, they will be the ones that stand up and do what is right.
Lord, no matter how difficult this season is don't let me tire of doing right. Give me wisdom. Help me to wait on you Jesus. Delayed gratification defined is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants.
I read about an experiment that was done to prove this exact point:
The marshmallow experiment is a well known test of this concept conducted by Walter Mischel at Stanford University and discussed by Goleman in his popular work. In the 1960s, a group of four-year-olds were given a marshmallow and promised another, only if they could wait 20 minutes before eating the first one. Some children could wait and others could not. The researchers then followed the progress of each child into adolescence and demonstrated that those with the ability to wait were better adjusted and more dependable (determined via surveys of their parents and teachers), and scored an average of 210 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test years later.
God, you have placed a lot on my shoulders. One day I will have a leadership school, I will speak to the nations, I will influence youth and guide them, I will be a wife, I will be a mother. These roles are connected to multitudes of people, people who will expect much of me. Mold me into the woman who will not cave under-pressure, into a woman that will never tire of doing what is right.
I want to be a voice of example, a voice that speaks against what is just going with the flow, a voice that will encourage others to turn around and go against the norm, to make a difference. I want to be the wife that can say I waited on God for you, I didn't manipulate my husband to be with me but I waited on God to mold him perfectly for me and me for him. I want to be the mother that can show her children what it is like to wait on God, to trust him, to not take the easy way out, to not walk out but fall down on my knees and trust in God.
Sacrifice isn't easy, it doesn't feel good but the reward is far beyond what you could ever expect or imagine. During this season, I will remember this scripture always. During the rest of my life, I will remember this scripture. Thank you for writing this scripture Jesus, somehow I think you knew I would need it. I love you Jesus.
Amen.
Michelle Nicole
