Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
Psalms 22:3,9
David is sharing his troubles and confusion with God. David has been anointed as Israels next king and is running for his life from a very angry and wicked king. He is hiding in caves and constantly on the run. And even in the midst of all the bad stuff, David chooses to see God as he really is. So even though he's hiding in a cave and running for his life YET he knows that God has him. God will fulfill his promises in David's life. Nothing is too difficult for God and David chooses to trust him for the best outcome.
Educational circles have begun to talk about growth mindset, and how we need to teach and train our students to persevere. Students need to be taught the power of YET.
As I read the verses from Psalms and reflect on David's situation, I am seeing that our Christian walk is just like the classroom. We need to learn perseverance, how to hold on and stay the course. We need to develop our steadfastness.
In a classroom where a growth mindset is nurtured, students are taught to monitor their thoughts. Words like, "I'll never..." are weaned out of the vocabulary and replaced with words like, "...yet!" This encourages the child to keep trying. Just as we are encouraged to keep trying. Not many are successful the first time they try something. So how do we develop this perseverance that we need? We are told to take every thought captive to Christ. Are we doing that? Are we honestly looking at what the enemy is telling us? All the "you can'ts" and "you shoulds"? Are these really from God? I grew up with a very legalistic view of God. I have a lot to stuff to filter through. I have come to know that if something holds us back from serving God, it's probably not from God.
Let me get personal here. I have felt called to be an author for may years, but I haven't done anything with it. I haven't taken those thoughts captive - I've let the lies of satan roam around and take up residence in my heart and mind. I began to believe what he was telling me. I've let those lies stop me from fulfilling my mission.
So how do we change this? How do we take our thoughts captive? I believe we use the power of YET.
David does this in several of his Psalms. He talks for a while about how rough and terrible and unfair life is, and then uses a little word to turn things around. He says, YET, will I trust in the Lord. He chooses to believe that God has his back. He chooses to believe that although David doesn't understand this situation, God does. God will bring everything together to glorify himself.
So when satan tries to spin one of his lies, when he tells me I'm not good enough, or I don't have anything to say that other want to hear, I'm going to hold it up the God's truth. I'm going to examine it closely, and then add YET. Will you join me?
