When You’re Pressed Out
I recently spent six weeks with some special ladies at my church walking through a first-draft of what I hope will become a Bible study that goes along with my book, My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife. On the last Sunday of our study, I was so encouraged by one friend in particular who shared an amazing testimony of the turn-around she has witnessed in her marriage over the course of the study. She said that it all started to change when she stopped thinking about what SHE wanted, and instead, started thinking about what GOD wanted.
For the first time in almost the entire duration of their marriage – more than a decade – she’s seen what she could only describe as a “complete transformation” in herself and in her husband. Her biggest fear was that she would “lose herself” or become someone she didn’t want to be when she decided she would stop being so concerned about herself and focus, instead, on God and her husband – BUT, she says she has felt the exact opposite! Such a beautiful amazing example of what can happen when we’re willing to let go of our own natural selfish tendencies and ask God to work in our lives instead. I know that’s what I’ve experienced in my life and my marriage, and it is THRILLING when I hear from another wife who has experienced the same thing!
I read a quote from Oswald Chambers a few months ago in my quiet time that said this:
“Jesus did not say—‘he that believeth in Me shall realize the blessing of the fullness of God,’ but—‘he that believeth in Me, out of him shall escape everything he receives.’ Our Lord’s teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure.” ~ Oswald Chambers
The desire to become more like Christ is not pain-free. The more I want to press in to Him, to follow and become more like Him, the more it feels like I’m being pressed OUT – my self-centered ways, my concerns and worries about me, myself and I, all slowly being pushed out to the sides as Christ takes residence in the center. It’s not always a great feeling.
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The more I press in to Him, to become more like Him, the more it feels like I’m being pressed OUT…
Tweet ThisI thought about this when I attempted ravioli dough for the first time the other day. Each time as the dough passed through the pasta roller, it got a little closer to the consistency, the state, that was needed to form the best ravioli, to hold that delicate but important filling. After all, it’s the filling that makes the ravioli, right? But here’s the thing – to get to that point, to get to that goal – the pressing, the process, the REFINING… all of it is necessary.
Letting God refine and press us out so we can press in to Him is also necessary. It’s necessary for our relationship with Him – and it’s necessary for our relationships with our husbands, our kids, and anyone else God asks us to be a blessing to.
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Our influence on our husbands and children are in direct proportion to the influence God has on us.
Tweet ThisOur influence on our husbands and children are in direct proportion to the influence God has on us. Do we desire to see change in our families? Then we have to desire for God to make changes in us.
Pray this prayer with me today: Jesus, please help me not give up or walk away or stop in place when the refining feels too much. Help me release what needs to be let go, so there is room in my heart and life for what You want to bring in, and what You want to pour out on others as You use me for Your purpose today.
One thing that keeps us from pressing in is when we’re holding onto bitterness or regret. If you are struggling with this, let me encourage you to order my new book, How Can I Possibly Forgive. What distracts our hearts distracts our souls. It’s time we say no to the distraction and say yes to a life of living free from resentment and regret!
