April 20, 2024
Earlier in my ministry I got an anonymous letter, severely criticizing my work at the church I served at the time. I had heard of others who received such notes, but this was a first for me. And even though this incident was isolated and unwarranted, it threw me for a loop.
I was obsessed with the letter for a while, but never found out who sent it. I eventually put it behind me, having learned a valuable lesson – don’t let detractors that pop up periodically determine your outlook.
As the Bibles says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
As one wise old saint once said, “I could have done without many pleasures, but I could not have spared one sorrow that God allowed to come into my way in life.”
This devotion is based from Gaddis’ book “Manage Your Emotions.”
