It never fails. Just when I think I have everything figured out, change occurs. Some being undesirable changes in my book . . . at first glance. But upon closer examination, the Lord's plan slowly reveals itself. And, slow is not a word in my vocabulary. When reality is altered, I want to know why and what my next move is immediately. Good thing God has a lot of patience with me. Over and over, He gently teaches me to slow down and trust He is in control of everything. If I consciously make the effort to view all things through His eyes, His plan will continue to flourish.
In today's first reading (Acts 5:34-42) a respected Pharisee from the Sanhedrin warns his fellow children of Israel that harming the apostles would be a grave mistake.
. . . For if this
endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will
destroy itself. But if it comes
from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may
even find yourselves fighting against God.
Smart man and smart advice. Do you see the brilliance in the quote above? Makes me think about what our country (USA) is going through right now. As a matter of fact, the entire world. Humans are making decisions without God in the equation and ultimately these decisions fail. Every time. This not only applies to our country, but to each of us in our daily lives. Make decisions with God in mind and you will triumph over any situation.
In Anne a lay apostle's book The Mist of Mercy, she paints a clear picture of how to see things through the eyes of Christ:
“What is it that the enemy seeks to
spoil? Quite often the answer will be peace, be it peace in the home, the
workplace, or the world at large. Or the enemy could seek to destroy a
relationship that is necessary for God’s plan to advance. Remember that the
enemy is the destroyer of peace. We must always work to establish and maintain
peace. I try to look at situations in two ways. I consider first, what is it
that the enemy would like me to do? How is the devil setting me up? Then I
consider what decision or response would please Jesus most. What does Jesus
want me to do? Therein lay both the struggle and the opportunity for holiness. The
soul groans. Humanity objects. Growth pains are evident. There are times when
we say, “Lord, it’s too hard.” At times we fail. But if we can learn to
identify and distinguish between the Lord’s way and the enemy’s way, we are at
least in the game. We must be prepared for battle by being smaller, meeker, and
more humble than God’s enemy. Our Leader was meek and humble of heart, after
all. Forgiveness was a way of life for Jesus. He remained calm, even when
falsely arrested. It is He whom we seek to follow.”
Beautiful, right? So often we overlook the small things. Today lay apostles, take a situation and look at it as Anne does above. Is your plan of action from God or the destroyer of peace?
Thank you, Lord, for opportunities to see change from Your perspective. It actually makes a bump in the road a "whoopie ride!"
God bless,
Bonnie
* A whoopie ride is a term my dad used when my sisters and I were young, and I continued on with my girls. It means stepping on the gas when you see a bump in the road causing the car to feel like a roller coaster ride. In no way do I recommend this to anyone . . . ;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment