The lesson is learned

Over the past several days, I have seen the same sets of Scripture three different times, from three different places, all with an emphasis on one single point:  God sometimes teaches the lesson twice.

The stories used to illustrate things Jesus did twice:  He fed the 5000, then the 4000.  Then there were the two different times Jesus calmed the storms.  Once, He was asleep in the boat.  The next time, He walked on the water out to the disciples.  

I have seen these things,, as I said, used in three different places, to illustrate the same point.  Jesus taught the disciples something twice because it was important.

Having the point driven home three different times, I'm listening.  And I'm reflecting on the lesson I had to learn twice over the last three years.  I think there's some significance in that.  I got reminded by a photo I took that it was three years ago this week that I went to Washington to get the ex.  That didn't work out as I thought it might.  It did work out as God planned.  And I'm mindful too that, while there were differences, the time the Who was here was strikingly similar and ended in pretty much the same fashion.  

I'm mindful of the things I've learned from these lessons.  I'm mindful of the sin in my life that led to either one of these fine ladies having to come back a second time when there should have never been an end to the first time for either.  I quit making excuses about the latter one some time ago and owned the sin of disobeying God all on my own.

One of the things the last thing I saw about learning our lessons is that we have to get honest with God and being honest with Him about my sin instead of making excuses for it has been kind of a thing the last few months.  I had to adjust my thinking to His in one area in my life.  I had to quit trying to justify the mistake I made sin I committed seven and a half years ago (that half has gone by quickly) and own it. Sometimes ya gotta call sin what it is instead of making it sound small.

Often times I seem sure I know what God is up to.  Often times, I am sure of a general sense of where we're headed but as with the two lessons learned the hard and very painful way, I seem to be incorrect about the outcome.

These lessons had to be very, very, very important because of the sheer amount of time and circumstance God went through to teach them to me.  His hand is very much in them and I'm hoping two certain things will be the result of them.  The first one is that I want to be so in agreement with God that when (I so wish I could say IF) I need correction, it will only be minor in nature, and two:  That I never have to repeat this lesson again.

I know that both times, the second time around, I didn't repeat the mistakes of the first time.  I did repeat thinking I knew the outcome and both times I was wrong, so I'm way past thinking I know how what God does is going to end.  But for the last couple of days, I've been in awe of how God does what He does.  I'm also reflecting on what needs to change in me so a repeat will not be necessary and I'm hoping that God telling me three times means that He is ready to move past the lesson because I've learned it.