Leaning on Him
by Marilyn Mackenzie
As I mentioned yesterday in The Difference
Between Life and Cyber-Life, I have had some
trouble with a few people here at Gather who
stalk and harass me. Sadly, Gather does not have
a method to keep certain persons from viewing and
commenting on our work. It is my hope that they
will provide that service to us one day. Many have
requested it, and other web sites provide such a
service.
When a few of the offenders found that post, I was
tired and went to bed. This morning, as I was
talking with God about that and other situations,
I was reminded of these verses in Romans:
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our
weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to
pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groans that words cannot express. And he
who searches our hearts knows the mind of the
Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
in accordance with God's will.
I vowed to be better at responding to those who
harass. I vowed to stop and pray before responding,
so that my words will remain sweet, and my
witness will remain intact. (Besides, I have seen
others who have responded in kind to Gather stalkers
and harassers and THEY have been the ones that
Gather deleted. I cannot be any good to Him here if I
am banned from the site.)
As I pondered these things, and prayed, I kept being
reminded of the Serenity prayer. Rather than trying
to type it by memory, I looked it up and discovered
this longer version of the prayer, an Irish version.
God take and receive my liberty,
My memory, my understanding and will.
All that I am and have He has given me.
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the
next. AMEN (Irish version of the Serenity Prayer)
Then and there, I vowed that when I am tested by
people here at Gather, or when my faith is
questioned, I will respond with a Bible verse or
with the Serenity Prayer, while I gather my thoughts
and pray for an answer that would be pleasing to
Him.
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Comments: 13
Matthew 25:35-36
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
To have uninsured folks no medical care, going bankrupt because of medical bills, food insecurity for kids right here in the United States, homelessness all drive me from a religious stand point not so much political.
We need the attitude of being our brothers keeper a little more and a little less of you're on your own, lift yourself up by your bootstraps even if you don't have boots. Just my opinion.
Since I'm so steadfast, she will often turn to me for counsel and I tell her to listen to that small, still, voice. It is the Spirit telling you the right thing to do, and to NOT listen to the whispers of doubt. That, I say, is Satan trying to make her stop the good works she does.
As for cyber-stalkers, I simply do not take them seriously...ever.. Nor do I respond to their nastiness. Perhaps that's why, even with my staunch views, I rarely have people attack me.