So, you’re in a bad mood. Something, or someone, has set you off. Your blood pressure is rising, and your mind is racing... and somewhere in it all you might even feel God is somehow to blame. What do you do?
Here are a couple of suggestions, ways to invite God into your frustration and fury. Prayerfully turn that feeling of being “PO’d” aka Purposely Offended into an opportunity for God to show up and show off... and to remind you that He loves you.
- Pray for the idiot. This sounds a little spiritually sophomoric, but I can personally testify this is a power tool of change... not to mention a mandate from God that we pray for those who persecute or hurt us.
- Encourage a stranger. Find a person, and make a purposeful investment in their world. Whether by words or action – this can be a game changer for many of us when we realize how many have it far worse than we do.
- When waiting on the miracle, be the miracle. Every follower of Christ is believing for something. Ask a friend what they are believing for and make an investment in the dreams of someone else. Believe for what they want and need. Getting our mind off our own circumstances can be liberating. Many times that's when God shows up in our lives.
- Be honest with God. During a memorial for a teen many years back, I confessed to God under my breath that I was angry…. and I was angry with Him. That day God spoke to my heart. He wasn’t “afraid” of my honesty or of my feelings. In fact, He let me know that He'd rather spend time with me while I was wounded then to spend no time with me at all. It's OK to get real with God.
- Take a wiff of your own "stank". No matter how “great” we think we are, separate from Christ, we stink. Sometimes a quick reminder of who we are without Christ (a putrid filth) and then who we are in Christ (a beautiful and amazing, reborn creation) can bring a change and a sense of peace to the situation.
Today, if you are PO’d (Purposefully Offended) - I pray that you take a minute and give it all to God, both the good and the bad. You'll be able to walk away from these few moments with Him refreshed and ready to go another day in His amazing plans for your life.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23
One last thought: In case nobody told you today, "You are loved!"
