Look at you … you woke up this morning, in your feelings, again; about something or somebody. You got the audacity to be mad at God about some stuff He had no say in and now you want to be selfish and not pray. You walk in and look at the dog and get angry at him and he ain’t even woke up yet. You look at the children and get mad because they can sleep in. You look at the car and get annoyed about the car note. Yet, the one thing you’ve failed to look at is you. I mean, look at you; looking like you’re looking. (I wrote a similar devotional on 6/7/13 and the Holy Spirit said to share it again.) Don’t you know it could be worse? Yea, folk could actually see the tear stains from your all night cry fest but they don’t. They could see the scars on your feet from the overnight pace party you had but they don’t. The pain in your body could be visible all over your face but it isn’t. Folk could see the holes in your heart from the constant hurt from family and friends but they can’t. Folk could see the pressure that consistently sit on your shoulders from all the things you’re trying to do with no support. Folk could see the disappointment in your belly from the membership that’s not growing no matter what you do. They could see the many mistakes you make that should cause you to stumble but they don’t. Why not? Well, it’s not because of you but it’s because God woke your selfish tail up this morning, in your right mind and with a reasonable portion of health and strength just so you could get yourself together.
So, look at you looking like you’re looking. Which means you don’t look like what you’ve been through. You don’t look like you’ve been drug to hell and back, most days. You don’t look like the dialysis that’s waiting on you at home. You don’t look like the chemo you just left from. You don’t look like the repossession that just happened. You don’t look like your house has just been foreclosed on. You don’t look like your negative checking account. You don’t look like you feel. And you sure don’t look hungry although you haven’t eaten since yesterday. Look at you! You don’t look like you just came out of the bathroom crying over your failing marriage. You don’t look like you spent your lunch filing bankruptcy or getting another check advance. You don’t look like all the alcohol you drank last night trying to drown your troubles. You don’t look like the pills you popped to silence the thoughts in your head. You don’t look like the suicide you just thought about. You don’t look like the disorder that has a hold on your life. You don’t look like a person whose marriage is failing. You don’t look like the woman who had to sleep in her car. You don’t look like the man who is working 18 hours days. You don’t look like the depression that keeps you up at night. You don’t look like the man whose name folk are scandalizing. Look at yourself! God works on you minute by minute to ensure you look like His masterpiece instead of the mess you’re in. This is why you look like the purpose God intended for your life and not the pain; the anointing and not the shame! Chile, if God wanted you dead; you’d be dead by now. Stop looking at the problems and look at the fact that you don’t look like all the mess you’ve encountered! God has you looking like you’re looking and you looks pretty doggone good to me!
Lakisha, the Author 