Be the phōs

Epic fail this morning, and it's not even 9:30.  

I missed an opportunity to be the Light.  

I am so easily frustrated and annoyed by red tape and what I consider to be positively ridiculous rules and standards.  Yes, I was dealing on the phone with our state government.  I'm not trying to bash our government in any way really.  I am bashing what is an absurd regulation regarding obtaining a driver's license if you are not a permanent resident of the US.  

Thanks to God, I was able to be kind and cordial to the three clerks I spoke with on the phone.  I was trying soooo hard, but I felt my blood starting to boil a bit.  All parties knew in our minds that the rule requirement was ridiculous, but we were bound to follow it.  [Pause  to pull out hair.] ​

My problem was that all onlookers in my house (including Rico) sensed my frustration. 

Although I didn't vent to the clerks on the phone, I did show visible signs of anger and frustration.  In the moment, I neglected to stay grounded and trim my pinions! 

​I kinda walked off the well-lit path of love and patience after concluding each call and before calling someone else.    

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I forgot that I was abiding in God's Love and Light. 
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You see, we are constantly offered the wonderful reciprocal privilege of abiding in God, His Word, His Truth, Christ, Love, the Holy Spirit and the Anointing that comes from abiding. 

The abiding is a steady position we can enjoy in our relationship with God.   I don't really have to stumble here.

​When we abide in Light, we have clarity of mind and reason, the power to understand moral and spiritual truths.   We abide in Light and then Light abides in us.   In other words, we get to shed light and be the light to others.

​The Greek word for "light" is phōs [pronounced with a long o].  ​If I choose to abide in Light, I am better equipped to see my way clearly through life's ups and downs.  With God's help, I can train myself to better handle those triggers that tempt me to come off course.

In other words, I don't have to walk down the dark road of impatience and disturbance.  When I feel my feathers are being bristled a bit, I need to trim those pinions really quickly and remember that I abide in Love and Light.  

Also, an ounce of prevention would have helped me! 

​I knew I had that particular issue to tackle this morning.  Was I prayed up for it?  Did I recognize that the caution light was blinking on my "dashboard"?  Although an otherwise tiny spiritual battle loomed ahead of me, was I fightin' ready?

So here we are after the fact.  What's a gal to do? 

For starters:  I need to confess that I goofed. 
Second:  I need to apologize to all eyes and ears who witnessed the mismanagement of my insolence.  
Finally:  I need to be grateful to God that He loves me anyway!  He alone knows how much I truly desire to be Christ-like in my actions and words.   

​He and I will keep partnering in this life.  Self-improvement and spiritual refinement do not happen over night - we are in this for the long haul.

The world will continue to offer me untold temptations to choose a darkened path.  But with God's help and for His glory, I will abide in the Light and be the light to others.   And so can you. 

​Today, let's choose in that split-second moment to be the phōs.  

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The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
​1 John 2:10

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