(To read this post, you have to understand that I will not be using my children's real names. For your reference, Miss A is the oldest, Precious is the middle and Bug is the youngest.)
This morning I listened as my three girls got ready for the day. They were chatting along about how our middle born has trouble with sucking her thumb. Our oldest, Miss A, said, "You need to work harder to stop sucking your thumb. Stop forgetting and just cut it out." Precious replied, "But I forget all the time. I can't seem to get myself to stop! I do really well for a long time, but then I forget and next thing I know I'm sucking my thumb. I want to stop! But I keep forgetting. I know it will make my teeth stick out. I just can't stop!" A tried again, "But you have to! It's not good and it will make your teeth stick out." Bug joined in, "You need to stop, Precious!" I listened intently as this continued on. It came time for mom to jump in as Precious began to be very discouraged. She continued saying, "But I just can't! I try and try and try! Then I forget!"
I called her in to my room so we could chat in private. I asked her, "Are you sick of sucking your thumb?" She nodded yes. I asked, "Every time you try to stop, what happens?" She said, "I forget and suck my thumb again." I said, "So every time you try to stop, you fail?" She nodded yes. I said, "Yeah, me to. I have bad habits that I want to stop. I try and try and try, but every time I fail. Do you know why? It's because it's the job of the flesh to fail. In my own efforts, I will always fail. God made it that way." She replied, "So that we would ask Him for help!" I nodded.
Yes, it is the job of the flesh to fail. We shouldn't be surprised when our own efforts come to nothing. Yet, we are so often! But when our own efforts fail, we are reminded again that it is the job of the flesh to fail. We should rejoice! Because when we fail, we are reminded that only Christ's Life in us can succeed. Not our efforts to live a righteous life. It says in Philippians 3:8-9, "But moreover, I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is out of the law, but that which is through the faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith."
If we were able to attain righteousness out of our own human effort, than why did Christ die? No, it was because we were helpless to ever hope for righteousness that God sent His Son to die for us, to take our place. Not only that, but then He imparted to us the righteousness that belongs to Christ. God sees Christ's righteousness. None of our own human effort attains a thing.
So Precious needed God's help. I told her to go ahead and agree with her sister. Go ahead and say, "You're right, Miss A. I am unable to stop sucking my thumb on my own. Really I am. I want to, but I can't." Instead, we prayed and asked God to do the work for her and are waiting on Him, in His time to do it. Meanwhile, I told her to stop trying, to rest and wait. We will expectantly wait for God to do the work in His time.
And just like that we had an eternal truth for Precious today. Thank You Lord.
Grace and Peace my friends.
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