Cursed or Blessed?- Jeremiah 17: 5-8

Someday, I'm going to take photography classes and travel around taking beautiful photos. Someday. :)

For today, I'm going to find photos for my Bible study reflection. I am reading Jeremiah. Have no clue why except that I felt God speak that one single word in my brain this spring when I was thinking to myself "What am I going to read when I finish the gospels?" Soooo, now I am reading Jeremiah. Momma told me while I was home that he was called "the weeping prophet." Hmmmm, it made me feel better when she told me that after I shared some things with her. Not that I am in any category up there with Jeremiah, by no means! So anywhooooo.

Today I read this passage- heard it a billion times in church all my life. Sermons, bible studies, songs. But it really stood out the comparison that is being made here and not just the righteous part, but the comparison. WOW.

Jeremiah 17: 5 & 6

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness in an uninhabited salt land."

YIKES! So in Rebekah-ese, this says to me, if I trust in others (my family, my coworkers, my pastor or fellow church goers, my neighbor, my president....) and trust in man's strength, wisdom, or intentions it causes my heart to turn away from God. Like a street- I can look left to man or right to God, but can't look both ways at the same time. If I do that,I am CURSED. Then I am a dried up piece of plant/vine/shrub and nothing good will come my way. I will live in a dry, dusty, and lonely, deserted place where nothing good comes, no one goes, and nothing survives.

So, Rebekah- Don't trust in man. Reminds me of that verse in the New Testament where Jesus said a servant cannot serve two masters- either he hates the one and loves the other or vice versa....

Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit."


my version- If I trust in God, I am BLESSED. I am like a tree whose roots never thirst because they are tapped into a reliable, constant fresh stream of water that never dries up or goes away. If I have that constant source of living water then my leaves won't wilt even in hot weather and I can keep on producing good fruit because my life won't be determined by the circumstances around me but by the source of water I have.

So, God I think I hit a bit of a dry spell this past year in some ways, but I felt close to You and think I grew in understanding a lot. But, did I please You? Did I keep green leaves and produce fruit in Your book? Herein is my big problem- I worry waaaayyy too much about what others think of me, are they pleased or angry or upset or hurt with me. Did I let someone down or fail to be every single wonderful thing I could possibly ever be to each and every person in my life?

I could sit here and think about what this coworker thought about me last year or what someone at church has said or if my husband/kids/momma/pop/sister approve of the things I said and did, BUT God you're the only one whose opinion really matters. If I trust in even my hubby's or momma's opinion than I'm trusting in man and am cursed. WOW! I get it God. I have to quit worrying about what man says/thinks/feels about me and trust in You alone. I had the right idea when I said all year, "At the end of the day all that matters is did I please God today..." but my heart still worried about this one or that one....

Please Father, help me to trust in You alone, to strive to please You alone, to care about Your opinion alone. Please help me to be that tree by the water that is thriving and producing such wonderful fruit for You. I don't want to be in the desert alone and thirsty and dying.