A FATHER SHOPPING
A young father was doing grocery shopping with his little boy, who was sitting in the cart.
The dad kept whispering things like, “Be patient, Billy. You can handle this, Billy. It’s going to be OK, Billy.”
A woman who was shopping in the same aisle was impressed.
She leaned over to the dad and said, “I just want to tell you what a great job you’re doing. You’re so wonderfully patient with your little Billy.”
“Actually,” said the man, “my son’s name is Jason. My name is Billy.”
All day long we hear words that are calculated to encourage us or break us down. Sometimes we speak those words to ourselves.
Unfortunately, they may be negative messages that play like digital recordings in our minds:
You’ll never lose weight.
You will never survive this lawsuit.
You can’t beat cancer.
You don’t have the courage to pursue the job you’ve always wanted.
You don’t have the guts to reclaim your sexual integrity.
You’re a loser. And you always will be.
For all too many of us, personal acquaintance with such spiritual darkness is a day-to-day experience.
We hear intimidating voices that are calculated to make us lose heart.
But God’s Holy Spirit can break into our minds as well.
The Spirit reminds us that, in Christ, we are loved. And chosen. And forgiven. And blessed beyond all ability to comprehend.
God will never leave us.
God will never abandon us.
God is at work right now in the midst of the most painful things that are happening to us.
The outcome of this day will largely be determined by what voices we choose to hear.
Not to mention whether we can make it make it down the candy aisle at the grocery store unscathed.
— Authored by Glenn McDonald
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