Why pray?
One of the hardest concepts about God's involvement in my life is understanding why it takes so long for something to happen. Lately, I've been kind of taking stock of where I'm at on my journey and not so much questioning the "why" of things as much as questioning whether or not I'm headed in the right direction.
Through a set of God's providences over the weekend, I am as sure as I can be.
Over the last month or so, I've been presented with a set of circumstances and choices that almost mirror the same set of circumstances and choices that got me where I am today. At every opportunity, I've made the opposite choice of last time, expecting a different outcome. And in that, I kind of almost made the same mistake I did two years ago that got me in the mess in the first place.
The details I won't share, but in general terms I was faced with something that upset me enough that I would have done an about-face. This time though, I held my tongue. I slept on it. I didn't do anything rash. And I prayed.
Sometimes life is about the choices we make. I don't always get it right. Staying at work instead of leaving early on Saturday would have been the best solution to the problem because my answer could have been "I was at work." God had plan B though which was relaying a story someone told me once and applying that story to the circumstances at hand. Plan B wasn't as good as plan A but there was a learning opportunity in there. And a chance to look back at the path I've been on since last fall. I'm confident that God is using this particular time in my life to make me grow.
That I took time to pray about this choice I could have made was the best thing I've done. At the time, I didn't see me making the same mistake again that I'd made before, but I almost did. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is to not give back what God gives you. Sometimes when someone else is involved, that means enduring stuff and having to overlook some things. Sometimes love involves making a choice to do just that...love in spite of, not because of, things that happen. It's kind of what God does with us, and it's so against our natures to love in that way.
Prayer helped me make the right choice. I didn't repeat the mistake I made before. I could have, had I trusted in my own wisdom instead of putting God first. I know if you had more details the story would make more sense, but sometimes it's best just to hide things in your heart. Heart lessons are hard, but necessary lessons to learn.
God answered my prayer by giving me the wisdom to see past the circumstances at hand and let me put His plan for my life ahead of my own. i didn't have that in the moment. And with the help of some timely reminders, I'm sure that choosing to stay the course is the right choice.
Through a set of God's providences over the weekend, I am as sure as I can be.
Over the last month or so, I've been presented with a set of circumstances and choices that almost mirror the same set of circumstances and choices that got me where I am today. At every opportunity, I've made the opposite choice of last time, expecting a different outcome. And in that, I kind of almost made the same mistake I did two years ago that got me in the mess in the first place.
The details I won't share, but in general terms I was faced with something that upset me enough that I would have done an about-face. This time though, I held my tongue. I slept on it. I didn't do anything rash. And I prayed.
Sometimes life is about the choices we make. I don't always get it right. Staying at work instead of leaving early on Saturday would have been the best solution to the problem because my answer could have been "I was at work." God had plan B though which was relaying a story someone told me once and applying that story to the circumstances at hand. Plan B wasn't as good as plan A but there was a learning opportunity in there. And a chance to look back at the path I've been on since last fall. I'm confident that God is using this particular time in my life to make me grow.
That I took time to pray about this choice I could have made was the best thing I've done. At the time, I didn't see me making the same mistake again that I'd made before, but I almost did. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is to not give back what God gives you. Sometimes when someone else is involved, that means enduring stuff and having to overlook some things. Sometimes love involves making a choice to do just that...love in spite of, not because of, things that happen. It's kind of what God does with us, and it's so against our natures to love in that way.
Prayer helped me make the right choice. I didn't repeat the mistake I made before. I could have, had I trusted in my own wisdom instead of putting God first. I know if you had more details the story would make more sense, but sometimes it's best just to hide things in your heart. Heart lessons are hard, but necessary lessons to learn.
God answered my prayer by giving me the wisdom to see past the circumstances at hand and let me put His plan for my life ahead of my own. i didn't have that in the moment. And with the help of some timely reminders, I'm sure that choosing to stay the course is the right choice.
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