"Dents"

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Hebrews 3:13 NIV

Wow!!! Do you ever have those devotions when you feel like God just gave you a Holy Spirit butt kicking?!!?? Well today's quiet time with God was one good swift kick in a good way:) I am kinda embarassed to even blog about it, but here I am...I signed up to get emails from this Proverbs 31 ministry and todays email was titled "seeing beyond the dent".  It started out with a verse from Thesselonians 5:11 "encourage one another and build each otherwise up..." When I first read the verse I was like well duh...I am great at encouraging and building others up. Then I read the story  that followed the verse and that is when I felt HORRIBLE!!! This gut wrenching feeling that I sat there and thought that is sooo me!! Ugggggg, I am not fan when I am correctted on things!! Who is...I mean do I really have to be encouraging when I don't like what someone is doing or saying!! I don't know about you but sometimes ivket my mind go on spin cycle(like the washing machine) and I let one little sent turn into one gigantic dent, when all I could've done is looked past the dent and looked for the good!!! Ok Lord...I get it!! :-)
I will let you read the story for yourself(I encourage you too) but the just of it was that too often when  "dents"  are present in situations or in people ,we are more likely to be critical or judgemental of that person or situation. So, instead of just seeing the "dent" to look past it and encourage or build up the situation you are in!!!  Whew!! I am thankful that God DOES see the good in me and He is not critical or condemning, instead He celebrates the progress I make. Lord give me Your strength to look past the dents in life and to be an encourager.