We all look at things differently and find that we need direction from time to time. The question you have to answer is, where do you get that direction from? Some rely on what feels right. This may work from time to time, but is hardly reliable. It may feel right to sit on the couch and do nothing, but it gets you nowhere. Some rely on past experience. This is fine as long as the situation is identical to what has previously occurred. In my experience, things rarely happen the same way twice, and if they do, it is usually because you did something to direct it that way. Sure we can apply past experience as a guide for what to do, but it in no way ensures success. In fact, I can't think of anything that ensures success. I can think of several things that can influence the outcome favorably, but nothing that ensures things will go as you want them.
I can already feel the response from my pastor coming. I ask that he note that I said as you want things to go. Just remember, what you want and what God has planned aren't always the same. In fact, I find that you stand a better chance of getting what you want when you want what God wants even if you don't know what that is. It's kinda like Christmas. You know, that one gift you have no idea what it is because its shape doesn't match anything on your wish list. You open it and at first you really have no clue what it is or how to use it. You kinda smile and nod, then give a feeble thanks and set it aside, not really sure what you are going to do with it. The next morning as you are going through all your gifts and find that you are bored and not really satisfied with what you wanted, you pick up that mystery gift. You sit there and study it and start to puzzle it out. Maybe someone comes by and sees what you have and gets all excited.
"You know what you have there?!" they ask, "its a whatchamacallit. Check out what it can do." As you watch them demonstrate all the wonderful uses you become more excited. Soon, you can't live with out this gizmo that, just yesterday, you had no clue what it was. You forget about all those gifts you practically bought for yourself because you just had to have them. That's when you realize that you aren't even sure who gave you that wonderful new gizmo. Or maybe you do, and that's when you realize that you didn't even think of getting them anything. You completely forgot about them.
Is that what your relationship with God is like. Does he give you a gift that you have no clue how to use or even what it is and you ignore it? Did you completely forget to thank him for that unexpected gift? I know I have. The neat thing is. God is willing to continue to give and help you. While some of us my have gotten the proverbial wonder gift from a distant relative and forgot to thank them only to have them drop us from their Christmas list, God will never drop us fro his. Granted, he may nudge us back to where he wants us to be and sometimes those nudges hurt...a lot, but he never forgets us or abandons us.
I am writing this for a few reasons. Firstly, because I recently received one of those nudges. You see, of all the shifts I have to work, I hate graves the most. While on graves, I am in an almost constant state of exhaustion. I am grouchy most of the time and sleep rather poorly. To make it even more interesting, I have to perform in our church's production of "Annie!" This means I have to be alert enough to do my lines and my already bad schedule is no worse. It made me look at why I was doing this play. Was I doing it as part of the outreach, or for myself? I realized, I was doing it for the wrong reasons and that I needed to recenter my life. Through this, I have rededicated my life to Christ, starting with this play and my attitude while I am in it. I realize that I have not put forth the effort that I should have and have rededicated myself to it.
I find that God has the best understanding of when subtle works and when it is time for the megaphone. Luckily, I responded before the megaphone was necessary. Where are you?
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