One of the most interesting people in the bible for me was (King) Solomon, outside of Jesus and the apostles, of course. He was the perfect example in my opinion of how we can humble ourselves and reap more than our hearts ever desire by doing so. How you can have the whole world (or so it would have seemed in those days) handed to you by the good Lord himself and still find yourself falling victim of being human at the end of the day. How wisdom and knowledge beyond all others meant nothing when influenced by the wrong crowd…
If you are anything like me, you tend to beat yourself up when you find yourself “stuck” in a spiritual rut, or when you have slipped up and sinned. Now I know that we all sin, but I mean when we do one of those things that just tend to eat us up inside because we truly knew better. I myself can’t even count the number of times over the years where I’d mess up and my first instinct was to run away from God verses running to Him the way He wants us too. I mean, why would He want me, the one who couldn’t do anything right for Him when He has done so much for me?
And if I’m to be honest, I don’t care to admit how many times I’ve asked myself, “Why are you so utterly stupid?”… But then, I remember King Solomon, and I start to feel a tad bit better about myself.
When you stop and think about how a man that purposely and intently asked for wisdom and knowledge over wealth from God (2 Chronicles 1.10) and was blessed with both and so much more all because he asked for it, was still able to make poor decisions? He still sinned and he still went against the very things God told him not to do. Kinda makes you feel better about your own pitfalls, doesn’t it?
“King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.” (2 Chronicles 9.22)
Let that sink in… All knew that God is who put the wisdom within Solomon’s heart, and they sought him out to hear it. And in the end, he still fell victim to temptation, corruption, and being under the influence of others which all lead him to turning away from and forsaking the Lord and the Lord’s decrees and commands.
Imagine having the wisdom and knowledge bestowed upon you from God Himself, and still making mistakes. Imagine having that same insane amount of knowledge and wisdom to where all of the other kings on earth seek you out to hear it, and your silly self still succumbs to sin. Imagine having all of the world’s wealth, riches and blessings beyond belief and still not being satisfied, so you fall prey to being swayed into idolatry, polygamy, adultery, and all kinds of sinful behavior.
I mean, I guess, because in reality beneath all of those things he was nothing but a simple human. You know, like you and I?
Surely if the man who had been blessed directly by God Himself with knowledge and wisdom unsurpassed can mess up and sin, I can allow myself some grace when I do too, right? If God graced Solomon with all of those blessings knowing in the end how it was going to turn out, why do we run from Him and what He has given us when He already knows full well what is coming?
Why is it we are programmed to beat ourselves up for being human? Maybe we need to practice allowing ourselves room for error because the truth is there are none of us that are perfect. And even if we strive to be, the reality is that we are still going to sin, and we are still going to wish that we were able to do better. Yes, we should utilize those feelings to fuel us to do better, to be better, of course! But we really do need to practice being kinder to ourselves. We need to offer ourselves the same grace that we offer unto others. While we all strive to love and forgive one another, let’s not forget to love and forgive ourselves, too!
God never wants us to run from Him when we mess up! Just like any good Father, He wants to help us through whatever it is we are going through but we have to run to Him for that to happen. And just like any good parent, He gives us the tools and waits patiently while we learn to utilize them. Sometimes I believe we all forget that our strongest tool in the toolbox is His faithfulness to us.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10.13
Billie is a 40-something stay-at-home momma of five beautiful children and Grammy to three grandchildren. When not wrangling the littles, she babysits for her two adult children. You will find her gardening, canning, baking, and making the most delicious meals for her family. Billie is a multitasker juggling a team of miniature tyrants, a cat, a snake, two dogs, two rats, and nine chickens. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and studying her bible. Her passion is sharing the gospel through her writing! So, whether she’s feeding your body with delicious meals or feeding your soul through her writing, join Billie as she takes you on a journey providing you with “Food for Thought.”
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