Woe Is Me
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me. (Jer 15:10)
Self pity is such an awful thing, is it not? It embroils us in all sorts of conflict, grief, and division. It distorts our view of the world around us and makes us distrustful of others. Allowed to fester, it even spreads to our relationship with God. We begin to distrust Him as well, denying that He would ever care for us or turn a kind eye toward us.
Jeremiah was full of self pity.
He saw the world around him as a dangerous and cruel place.
He complained against God.
God heard him.
However, God’s answer probably shook him up since God said, in effect, “Shape up!” God’s words, “If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand; If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece” were a reminder to Jeremiah that he had been called to be a prophet to God’s people.
However, in order to be a prophet, Jeremiah had to have his own house in order.
We often find ourselves feeling miserable, lost, confused, or frightened. We often feel that God is far from us, that He has left us.
In reality, He has not left us, we have abandoned Him.
But the incredible news is that God is always present and always willing to take us back. We just have to shape up our own lives.
FAITH ACTION: Full of self pity? Ask God to pour His love into your soul. Know someone else who is struggling? Pray for that person.