Convicted

As a child of God, the Spirit convicts me of my sin. He is always a Gentleman, never overbearing, never shouting in my ear, "You're a failure! You've done it again!" He just quietly points out to me a word I've said in anger, a critical thought or a wrong attitude I've had.

Yesterday as I joined the other women who attend Bible study with me in the praise and worship of our King in song, I felt the conviction of the Gentleman burning in my heart. He brought to remembrance the way I had automatically jumped to the worst conclusion about a person the day before. I had assumed I knew the reason for his behavior, but I was completely wrong. There I went again, assuming the worst, instead of believing the best.

The Gentleman also pointed out the wrong attitude I had displayed in a very small and insignificant matter--the taking down of the wallpaper border in our bathroom. As the border stubbornly refused to come off after a couple hours of work, I became increasingly frustrated. I started to panic at the idea of getting yards and yards of border off of our bedroom walls by Friday so that we could begin painting on Saturday. "Who would do this to their walls?!" I blurted out as Matt walked into the bathroom. "People who like wallpaper border, Melissa, " was his quiet response. There are people all over the world who would love a house with four walls, let alone walls with wall paper border decorating them.

Then verse three came around and as I sang it I prayed the words to my Heavenly Father, asking His forgiveness for my wandering off the path, yet again.

        O to grace how great a debtor
 daily I'm constrained to be!
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
 bind my wandering heart to thee.
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
 prone to leave the God I love;
 here's my heart, O take and seal it,
 seal it for thy courts above.

Thank you Father, for your abounding love and freely given grace.