Controlling Our Spirit

I recently spent some time with a lovely lady who has suffered great setbacks and hurts in her life. Thinking a little time together to perk her day up might be a good thing,  I invited her to spend a few hours together with me. 

In my life, I have had plenty opportunity to listen to a lot of people's stories.  Some folks vent, some folks openly blame, some criticize, some despair, but few let difficult experiences and criticism be a time to learn and grow.

I parted ways with this beautiful lady thinking, "I don't know when I have felt so blessed by sharing."  She was so positive about learning and growing and going forward.  She had control of her spirit and her emotions in a very impressive way.  To my thinking, she has let God mold her into a gracious, sweet, fun loving person who I would not hesitate to invite into my day again!!

Which lead me to analyze my own impression that I make on others. Do I have control of my own spirit? Very often, we let circumstances of the past, unhappiness with the present or fear of the future affect the way we converse or feel around others.

How easy is it to let other's negative words or bad behavior open up a desire to tell someone else to invite sympathy or to discuss the situation in a less than desirable way? How often do we fail to identify jealousy or envy in our own lives when we are using the failures of others to justify ourselves?  Do we consider the fact that the fault we find in others often is the very conduct we embrace in our own selves?  Isn't it easy to let a bad mood or depression overtake us when life turns on us?

Once we let down our guard, and allow negativity take over, we break down portions of the protective wall that surrounds us through our commitment to living and practicing the Word and letting Christ be reflected in us. So many holes in our walls sometimes. And where there are holes, there are enemies trying to come in and take over our spirit!

I'd safely say that every failure starts with the embracing of bitterness or self pity and not identifying it, thus letting it take over and control us.

So, Lord, help me to control my spirit, which protects my reactions, which lead to what I think, which affects what comes out of my mouth, which becomes my reputation, which always relates to my fellow man! And if I profess Christ, I have directly influenced their impression of Him. And thus my faith and theirs is destroyed!!