slapped

disney fun fact

It takes 4 minutes and 41 seconds to complete Soarin' Over California

(source: Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

He slapped me
with His eternal truth

I was convicted,
renewed,
and supernaturally strengthened
in about 30 minutes

I have been wrestling with discouragement for about two weeks now

discouraged about life
discouraged about ministry
discouraged, discouraged, discouraged

not depressed, discouraged

like i'm not appreciated
like all my hard work is going unnoticed
like all my hard work isn't fruitful
like all my hard work isn't enough
and the WORK is just too HARD

And at my bible study yesterday, as I was taken through 1 Thess. 2:1-12

I felt like God went *SLAP* right on my face

It was like, wait, rewind...
"like i'm not appreciated

like all my hard work is going unnoticed

like all my hard work isn't fruitful

like all my hard work isn't enough

and the WORK is just too HARD"

*SLAP*
whose work???

Paul's motives in ministering to others in 1 Thess. were for God and God alone.

Of course I've been discouraged, its been about my work, expecting my results. 

I've been working for an audience of many, instead of an audience of One.

And at the end of that 30 minutes, I finally realized my error

And just like that, my discouragement was gone

(it might come back, and then I'll have to go through the whole process all over again, but for now, gone)

I was convicted to redirect WORK for God, alone

My heart was renewed to WORK at being faithful for God, alone

And I was strengthened to WORK even harder for God, alone

Thanks for the slap, God.

It was just what I needed