Lately I have been going through a Joyce Myer study at church.  It is based on the scriptures that talk about taking our thoughts captive…really about thinking about what you are thinking about.  Last weeks message was about how we build houses out of thoughts.  For example, we may have an un-forgiveness room where we go to nurse our grudges.  We think about how we have been wronged until we are bitter.  The message is that we build these houses of thoughts, and most of the time we are somewhat unaware of how poisonous this is to our spiritual life.  It is urgent that we begin to think about our thoughts and renew our minds to what the Bible says rather than what we think.  It is a choice, and it is not always easy because we have patterns of thought.  There are a lot of rooms in the houses in our minds.  Redecorating them will take some time, but if you ask God he is faithful to give you new thoughts to replace the toxic ones.  He will bring his word into remembrance, just when you were going down an old road.  A friend will call out of the blue just as you were heading into the self-pity room.  God is so good to put his finger on these hidden places in our hearts.

I was thinking about these rooms when God showed me one that I knew well.  It is the inadequacy/failure room.  I think every woman has one of these rooms.  It is the one in which you think, I am not good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough.  I don’t have a clean enough house, or I am not successful at my job. How about, I am a terrible mother, or I am not a good enough wife.  All of us have heard and had these thoughts; that isn’t really that unusual.  However, what God showed me this week was that in this room, the enemy uses scripture to convince us of these lies. This is not as easy to discern as when you have the thought that someone wronged you and you didn’t deserve it; that is pretty straight forward.  No, these thoughts use the Proverbs 31 woman against you.  You should be able to rise up early, do business, manage your household and have children that love you. You can dye fabric while selling real estate all while baking bread. If you were truly a Godly woman these things would be true of you.  Here is the twisted logic, if you fall short in any area you must not be on track with God.  Ouch.  Then the doubt comes in as to what you are doing wrong.  We add more activities thinking that if we pray more or go to another Bible study something will magically happen and we will suddenly all become like Christian Martha Stewarts.  Well do not fall for it!  It is a lie.  God did not make us all to be just alike.  He gave us each different gifts and it may be that yours is not cleaning house!  Did you hear the collective gasp at such sacrilege?  That was the enemy squirming as the truth comes forth.  You are created by God.  He designed you exactly how he wanted you, with the flaws and talents of a human.  If he wanted us perfect he wouldn’t have given us the choice not to be.  He knows our thoughts and feelings better than we do.  It is amazing when you think about it.  His love for you is deep and it is not dependent on how clean your house is or what your children are doing.  He wants our hearts not our performance.  Yet, we uphold the Proverbs 31 woman as our example of who we are to model ourselves after.  We always have, and probably always will.  However, in my Bible it says we are to model ourselves after Christ, not other women.  He is God’s demonstration of Godly.  Compassionate enough to talk with all kinds of people.  He was not too busy, but knew when to rest in God.  He healed.  He fed. He encouraged the down trodden.  He didn’t have a house to clean.  He was a servant but also a master.  He was balanced in all things.  He slept and wept.  He got angry and he was joyful.  He knew who he was.  He knew why he came and he stuck with it.  He did not condemn himself, even when every one else did.  He freely gave grace.  We just need to freely accept it.