One of the biggest lessons that I have learned through all the adventures and changes in my life is how important it is to step out of the moment, and take stock. It makes no sense to blindly muscle your way through a situation. I was watching Dateline NBC last night about a rescue mission in Afghanistan that went very wrong. As they talked to the man who had to take over leadership of a situation as it spun out of control, one of the things he kept saying over and over was: “we stopped and assessed the situation”. They would find a new solution that used the assets at their disposal, tried that tactic, and often were forced back. Over and over and over they stopped and took stock of the situation and finally found a creative solution that mitigated the loss of more lives.
There are patterns and situations in our lives which seem to repeat again and again. There are battles that seem to focus on our weaknesses, and it feels like we are doomed to repeat the lesson over again until we catch it. I agree with that. We hear people talk about ‘going around the mountain’. The nice thing with God is that He is fully invested in our lives, and is “conspiring to bring you to the place of your destiny” (From: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson). I agree that there are things that we have to master in order to see the fullness of what God has for us.
As well, though, I think that sometime God allows things in our lives for our growth and to learn these lessons. It seems that often there is a recurring theme. If I look back at my own walk, there is one underlying theme to all of the major crises in my life. It would be easy to look at that one thing and call it your Achilles heel, but I think that often the enemy will target our greatest strength and use it against us to cripple us into not achieving the fullness of God.
In my life, there is a recurring theme of finances in general and specifically God’s provision. I have a lot of knowledge in the area of finances, and an innate talent for financial things. Some if the biggest battles in my mind are about finances. It is frustrating because I see the enemy’s plans, he wants me to question God’s willingness in the area of finances, and convince me that if I waste any money (and I often do) that it disqualifies me somehow from the big dreams that I have. He taunts me with scriptures like “he who is faithful with the little can be trusted with much more” as I stand at Starbucks waiting for my $4.00 latte.
Is it wrong to buy a latte? Nope, is God going to hold that against me forever? Nope. I see that because this is a place that I have visited before. God ALWAYS comes through, and God ALWAYS provides, and there are mercies that are new every morning.
My life’s theme is finances, yours might be something else: education, purity, exercise, diet, gambling…. Whatever the principle still remains.
What I have learned is to keep my eyes open in the areas of your life that touch the biggest dreams of your heart. You will know what I mean because every time you dream that big dream, there is a thought about how YOU are disqualified because of something in your life. But each time you face this testing ground, God wants you to learn something. When you learn something, take stock and apply it next time. You will begin to see that each testing phase will have more success.
I have been unemployed before. I have felt bored, and useless before. In the past though, it has taken me a lot longer to become bored and feel like I needed to accomplish something. I have realized that I need to feel like I have finished something every day, and that when my brain is disengaged, I get really cranky. And so I celebrate this growth.
Take stock of your ‘little miracles’ tell them to people around you. I like to brag on what the Lord is teaching me, because it helps to remind myself that even though the circumstances feel the same, they are not the same because I am not the same.
He who started the Work will be faithful to complete it… I am going to listen and learn!
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2 comments:
You are a "little miracle." Your thought provoking observations never cease to amaze me. I can totally relate to the thing that chases us throughout our lives. For me it's addictions. It's never conquered but I have to believe that if it was to be conquered, or if He was to heal me, in what weakness would He have room to grow me and use me to reach others? I move from one addiction to another. Seriously, some people might not think that exercising or whatever is "an addiction" but when something totally consumes your mind, day and night, awake or asleep ... it's a problem. If a person gives up drugs, or bulemia and then changes the problem for exercising, it's a problem when it takes priority. I've finally come to a place where I can actually see the enemy coming, I prepare myself with the Word and all my battle gear. Sometimes God will bring me through it successfully but when He doesn't I know that someone else is about to benefit from it because it makes me relatable - approachable. We just need to accept that we'll only be perfect at "that day." I can see how you've grown and how your spirit has changed in three days. So, you see, someone is going to benefit by what you've gone through these past days, and weeks. I love you!!!!
I really like this one Laura! You nailed it right on.
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