Devotion for Saturday, June 20

TALKING TO YOURSELF
 
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23
 
Do you talk to yourself? I know I do! If you do, then what kinds of things do you say? Eeyore, the donkey in Winnie-the-Pooh books, has a really gloomy outlook on life. He says, "I don't suppose anyone would want to go with me. Nobody ever does." When he describes his home, Eeyore comments in his slow, sad drawl, "It's not much of a house, just right for not much of a donkey." Eeyore sees his life through a pretty dark lens. And yet, even young readers feel an endearing connection to the forlorn little donkey. I do...maybe we all do!
 
For each of us, life has its moments - those really fantastic ones - like scoring the winning goal, getting the job of our dreams, marrying your soul mate, the birth of your child. But, (and there's always a but, right?) other moments in life aren't all that great. Your team loses to the worst team in the league. You're downsized out of a job. You no longer recognize your soul mate as you sit across the table in your divorce settlement meeting. You haven't been able to spend time with you family and friends for months because of Covid-19. Guys, life can be hard - just ask Eeyore.
 
Talking to yourself like Eeyore does is not helpful. Does your self-talk seem to be more negative than positive? We know that Eeyore voices his negative self-talk out loud, but we may keep it to ourselves. Whether we say it aloud or keep it all inside, it is harmful to our spirit.
 
Your heavenly Father made you, and because your Father knows that His perfectly created world can be full of problems, He sees that you can be inclined to have a negative perspective. We all can! But that is not what He wants for His dear children. Not at all!
 
Instead of being negative, our Lord wants us to remember His past faithfulness. He reminds us that He is for us, always encouraging us to depend on Him, day after day - today and always!
 
Let us pray: Gracious God, remind us today of Your faithfulness. Help us to always rely on You in times of trouble, and help us to have the faith to believe that you always want good for us. Amen.
 
                                                                      Pastor Ruth
 
 
820 Almshouse Road  Ivyland, PA 18974
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