I have been reading a FANTASTIC book by Elyse Fitzpatrick, called "Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety." Sometimes I think she wrote it just for me! I am so thankful for this book. It is teaching me to think in new ways. It is teaching me to have better control of my thoughts (I didn't even know that you could have control of your thoughts...but that is for another post). And all of that is very EXCITING for an over-thinker.
A few weeks ago, I read her thoughts on Appreciation. We all want it. How many times have you been cleaning your kitchen sink, folding laundry, or doing a menial task for someone else and start thinking thoughts like, "why am I doing this?" or "I hate doing this" or "why doesn't so and so appreciate me for doing this?" or my personal favorite, "why doesn't so and so THANK me for doing the task that I am doing right now?" It makes the task you are doing that much more lame when you have those thoughts.
Here are some scriptures/words of wisdom from Elyse Fitzpatrick on the subject:
*God has called me to be a servant, not a queen who is owed adoration or praise. (Luke 22:26)
*I have been commanded to love and appreciate others, not to be love or appreciated (John 13 and 15; 2 Corinthians 2:8)
*Since others have been commanded to love me, I must seek to make their task easy by serving and caring for them (Matthew 22:38-40).
*My desire for the praise of man is just that: a desire. It isn't a need. Everything that I truly need has been given to me in Christ (Luke 12:29-30; 2 Peter 1:2-4).
*I need to be focused more on being thankful for what the Lord and others have done for me (Psalm 28:7)
*I must seek to lay down my life in response to God's lovingkindness (Luke 9:23-24)
*The desire for praise is an avenue for sin that I must guard against (the book of Esther, Matthew 27:18)
*When I believe that I need praise, appreciate, or acceptance from others I become enslaved to their opinions. That slavery will hinder my ability to speak the truth in love to them (John 12:42-43).
I encourage you to read the verses that go along with these statements. Because the verses really seal the deal on this concept.
I never thought about how the need to feel appreciated goes hand in hand with being concerned (or fearing/worrying) what others think of you. And that verse in 2 Peter--God really does supply us with all that we need.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.I hope that you are encouraged by these verses. And the next time you are serving someone by taking out the trash, ironing a shirt (uh...i don't iron at all), keeping your part of the bathroom clean--whatever it is you struggle doing with a servant's heart--try to remember some of these thoughts.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7
