Umbrellas....

I was doing my devotions this morning and the author was talking about umbrellas...and my mind started to wonder...or maybe it was the Holy Spirit at work.

I am facing a road in life that requires complete Holy Spirit control. It is not a road that I want to walk and truth be told, if I could rewrite this chapter, I would. But I can't. I can only CHOOSE how I am going to walk it. 

This is what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me...I have an umbrella, we all have one. And it is not a small umbrella. It is the umbrella of influence that I hold in my hands. I saw words all over my umbrella, the words are my motives, my attitudes, my actions, my story, my choices. Whether I realize it or not, there are many people that stand under my umbrella. Many don't have a choice to be under it. (my kids, my family, those in my sphere of influence) But the thoughts that began going through my mind were "Stephanie, what words are on your umbrella? Are they words that would DRAW more people to desire to be under your umbrella, or they words that would make people to prefer to stand in the "rain" than be under that umbrella??" Hmmm...Ouch??

Then my mind went to the other umbrellas that influence those that I love...other relationships in those lives. Some I can not control. Some I honestly do not like. But is my umbrella going to provide a preferred shelter in life? Is it going to be a better influence than the other umbrellas that they may stand under? What does it take in this life to have the better influence?

We all choose. Every day we choose. To do life God's way or our own way. There are times when everything in me does not want to do it God's way, but I know his way is best. And I choose. I know honoring him, even when no one else sees the sacrifice, is given an eternal measure of reward. I would be lying if I said that I was not at times, battling my flesh and my spirit in a way that I can almost visualize. There are moments when the spirit is winning and then there are moments when the flesh is rearing its ugly head and working hard to conquer. But all it requires is me choosing God's way to truly win the battle...even when there is no apparent victory on this earth. 

I know when I do it God's way, I prefer to hold that umbrella and others will prefer to be under it, because my umbrella is a much more peaceful, joy filled, loving place to be. I was left with the thought, "What does my umbrella say?" 

I leave you with the same thought...what is written on your umbrella??