Jesus: The Doormat

This post comes with:

WARNING/DISCLAIMER: I do not believe any person should use God to control or manipulate another person, and abuse is wrong. The following message does not pertain to abusive relationships and if you or someone you know is being abused, please call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY)Anonymous & Confidential Help 24/7 and seek help.

With that being said, I now continue.

I am, by nature, a giver. I love to give to people, I am usually compassionate, and I will go out of my way to make someone else's day. I am truly happy and comfortable and able to enjoy my life when I know I am serving others to my utmost potential. I love to seek God for the refreshing I need, for the energy, the hope, the strength, and the words it takes to encourage and build up others. I also am human. I sin. I am mean and can be cold. I fail to seek God when I need Him the most, and I let people down. Yes I am talking about the same me, one person, created by God, for a purpose. I mess up. I don't like it. I don't mean to. But I miss it, and when I miss it, I can trace it to failing to connect with God in an intimate and intentional way. And when I fail to connect with my Daddy in Heaven, and it causes me to miss it, someone gets hurt. Wait, there is more.
When someone gets hurt, I withdraw, because I am not good at coping with my own failures. I am just as bad at coping with the guilt that comes from hurting someone. And I end up spiraling downward because I think I'm protecting everyone. Then I get completely disconnected from God.

Don't worry, in another hour of reading you'll understand the title. Okay, I will try to not take /that/ long.

I've been going through a disconnected year and God has been pulling and pulling and pulling on my heart, and I'm softening. And I want to flow in the Spirit and live in my God-given talents and abilities, and I want those God-given talents to be God-powered, Spirit-filled, and life changing. In all my desire to move back into "the zone" with God, I was expressing some ideas for giving to others and I heard the statement. I've heard it before. I've thought this before. "Don't be anybody's doormat." What? "Don't be the doormat."

Okay, but can I ask you something? What does that even mean? You mean, don't let them walk all over me, right? I have a problem with this. You're right, I can worry about "my rights" and "my stuff" and "my time" but that all focuses on me, myself and I. Jesus was so focused and so driven to meet the calling God placed on His life that He allowed Himself to be spit on and FALSELY ACCUSED OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. Jesus did NOT hire an attorney, go to court, and fight the accusations. He never failed in His compassion. He didn't argue. He walked down the path God sent Him for, and I am saved thanks to Him. Jesus didn't defend Himself. Because Jesus wasn't living for Himself. Jesus knew what God wanted Him to do, and He did it.

Now, I'm no Jesus, and I know you aren't either. I do know  that God gave us an example to follow and do our best to live by. Jesus came to save us and show us the perfect model of living for God. We are not perfect, but we have the Holy Spirit to live within us and help us. I know I'm only worried about being a doormat when I'm worried about me. Today I'm going to let God worry about me, because He wants to supply my every need and He can do more for me in a split second than a month of my own blood, sweat and tears can do for me.

Remember, God doesn't call the equipped. God equips the called. And Jesus was the ultimate doormat.

In Him,
Regina