During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!
Petal 1: “In the situations where I want to become unglued, I always have the choice to be a reactor or a responder.” —Lysa TerKeurst, Unglued Devotional
Petal 2: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NIV)
Petal 3: I did a short book review of the Unglued Devotional in which I stated that I had a love-hate relationship with the book (find out why: here)—suffice it to say that the old saying is true: “the truth hurts!” However, it was a “happy pain,” because anything that scrapes away at the rough edges of my heart only makes my spirit “smoother” and allows me to serve Christ without as many jagged edges getting in the way! Focusing on the spirit that God gives me—a spirit which has power, love, and self-discipline as its attributes—helps me to remember that these qualities have their source in the One Whose very life exemplifies those traits; therefore, I can rely on Him to keep growing those characteristics in me. As I continue to learn from His perfect example, my reactions to situations that might otherwise cause me to become “unglued” can instead be embraced by a right response!
Petal 4: The book I quoted from (in Petal 1) is Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress, by Lysa TerKeurst; this is an excellent companion devotional book to the must-read book Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, also by Lysa TerKeurst.
Petal 5: When (not if) a situation arises today that might cause you to become “unglued,” line up your reaction next to the rungs of the ladder of right response—am I reacting with: (1) His power? (2) His love? and/or (3) Self-discipline? If the answer to any of these is “no,” hang on tight, because you’re going to slip down the ladder! Instead, find a verse that meets the need of the struggle you’re facing (do a keyword search on BibleGateway.com if you need to) and keep climbing upward on the ladder of right response!