Don't Blame Yourself

By Josephine Lim-Weston

When you are discouraged, disappointed, doubting the future, fallen sick and facing loss of any kind that you have no control of don't blame yourself. Unpleasant incidents do occur in life so don't blame yourself or people in your life. It’s natural to be feeling disheartened and sad, but give it time, all these will make us stronger and help us gain right perspective on life.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche

When you see others having what you've always been longing for, Pastor Joseph Prince advised, "Say to yourself, ‘The same will happen to me. God will bless me too!’" Whatever blessing you're seeing others having rejoice with them; and don’t be jealous of them or be disappointed or feeling discouraged yourself as we are to respect God's timing and season for our lives. Don't compare and don't blame ourselves or any other.

There’s a passage in scripture that I hope will encourage us:

John 9:1-3
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
1 As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Even in the midst of trials and opposition, continue to make good our lives and be grateful for all we've been blessed with already. We'll be surprised, when we take time to count God’s grace and blessings upon our lives, even though the things we prayed for hasn't been answered. Fulfilment in life doesn’t depend on the things we hope for, instead we are to cherish and be grateful for what we’ve been given.

Let’s continue to lift our spirits high and learn to encourage ourselves and others. Blessing doesn’t come by merits, but by grace and according to His perfect timing. Only God knows when it will happen and eventually we will also know the reason, but at this moment we have to just trust Him that all things will somehow work out for our good, the good of our loved ones and we'll give Him glory for what He has done. He can turn around a hopeless situation to a glorious event beyond what we could imagine and comprehend. We have just got to keep trusting and not to lose faith and put Him central in life.

James 1
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.