Imagine what you would feel if someone took your leg and bent it out at the knee instead of back. You would no doubt experience pain by the hyper-extension of your knee. This pain would result in you doing everything in your power to stop the hyper-extension and save the integrity of your leg.
You wouldn't feel guilty for saying "Hey, stop that! You're going to break my leg!" If they persisted, you would most likely kick the person.
Well did you know you could hyper-extend your soul? It's true! You can over give and over-do and wind up breaking your soul.
But how do you know if your hyper-extending your soul? Does the soul experience pain? YES!
When your giving and doing results in resentment, your soul is telling you it is being hyper-extended. The problem is we don't listen to the soul pain. We brush away the warning of soul damage with self-guilt and shame.
"I shouldn't be resentful. I should be a better Christian and give cheerfully. What's wrong with me? Lord, help me be more giving!"
You wouldn't ignore the pain of your knee - don't ignore the pain of your soul. Stop ignoring the soul pain!
2 Corinthians 6:9 says:
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
This verse is not saying "Suck it up and give cheerfully!"
It is saying, when you give out of what you have decided in your heart to give - it produces cheerfulness. God is all over that! But when you give reluctantly and under compulsion so that you-know-what doesn't hit the fan - you will not experience cheerfulness but rather resentment. God wants you to learn to say "NO!" and spare your soul from breakage.
Just as you protect your knees from hyper-extension so you can continue to walk and run, protect your soul from hyper-extension so you can continue to give cheerfully from your heart.
Want to be a cheerful giver? Exercise your "NO" muscle!
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