June 22, 2020
Have you ever tried to hold a squirming, struggling toddler who wants to get down? If you’re in a safe place, putting them down might be the best option. But if you’re near a street or in a crowded mall, you must hold on to them for their own good because you want them to be safe. You know what is best, but they are unable to understand why you won’t let them go. You try to explain and comfort them, but they won’t stop their struggling and listen. They just want their own way. I wonder if God sometimes thinks of us as toddlers. Life seems to be going along fine. We are making our way along our path, headed where we want to go, when suddenly God scoops us up and says, “No. Sorry. That is not what you need right now.” Rather than saying, “Okay. I accept your plan and your wisdom,” we enter into a power struggle with Our Father. We really want that new job, new car, new house. Or we think that our life would be complete if only we had that special person. But God knows better. Sometimes we do not respond well to being told no. We want what we want when we want it. Rather than “using the good sense the Good Lord gave us” we force our own ideas and ignore His voice in our heart telling us to stop struggling and wait with Him. So, we buy that new thing even though we can’t afford it, or we date that person or hang out with those people even though it doesn’t really feel right. When we make choices that go against the will of Our Father, there is usually a price to pay. (our peace of mind) Sometimes we aren’t really forcing our own will, we are just not accepting God’s will. We spend our time being sad or bitter and not appreciating our blessings. We waste our days pouting and complaining and asking, “Why?” or “Why not?”. Just as a 4-year-old understands reason better than a 2-year-old, we find it easier to relax and trust God when our faith is more mature. The more often we practice trust and acceptance that God knows what is best for us, (the less we struggle) the easier it is to see that His ways are perfect and lead to joy and peace. So, today if our plans don’t work out because God has better ones, let’s try to accept His good and perfect will and just rest safely in His arms. Acts 17:27 (TLB) says: ““His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Trust that God knows best. Smile and be joyful!
Have you ever tried to hold a squirming, struggling toddler who wants to get down? If you’re in a safe place, putting them down might be the best option. But if you’re near a street or in a crowded mall, you must hold on to them for their own good because you want them to be safe. You know what is best, but they are unable to understand why you won’t let them go. You try to explain and comfort them, but they won’t stop their struggling and listen. They just want their own way. I wonder if God sometimes thinks of us as toddlers. Life seems to be going along fine. We are making our way along our path, headed where we want to go, when suddenly God scoops us up and says, “No. Sorry. That is not what you need right now.” Rather than saying, “Okay. I accept your plan and your wisdom,” we enter into a power struggle with Our Father. We really want that new job, new car, new house. Or we think that our life would be complete if only we had that special person. But God knows better. Sometimes we do not respond well to being told no. We want what we want when we want it. Rather than “using the good sense the Good Lord gave us” we force our own ideas and ignore His voice in our heart telling us to stop struggling and wait with Him. So, we buy that new thing even though we can’t afford it, or we date that person or hang out with those people even though it doesn’t really feel right. When we make choices that go against the will of Our Father, there is usually a price to pay. (our peace of mind) Sometimes we aren’t really forcing our own will, we are just not accepting God’s will. We spend our time being sad or bitter and not appreciating our blessings. We waste our days pouting and complaining and asking, “Why?” or “Why not?”. Just as a 4-year-old understands reason better than a 2-year-old, we find it easier to relax and trust God when our faith is more mature. The more often we practice trust and acceptance that God knows what is best for us, (the less we struggle) the easier it is to see that His ways are perfect and lead to joy and peace. So, today if our plans don’t work out because God has better ones, let’s try to accept His good and perfect will and just rest safely in His arms. Acts 17:27 (TLB) says: ““His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Trust that God knows best. Smile and be joyful!
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