A couple weeks ago one of our daughters wanted to do something. It was something we were probably going to let her do, but as the conversation went on, we realized that she had misrepresented the truth. She hadn't really technically lied, but she had misled me in the way she presented it to me. I had to tell her that because of the way she handled it we couldn't let her do it and then we had to go to her friend and tell her that she couldn't and explain why.
Later I found my daughter alone crying. I asked her if she was crying because it didn't work out to do what she wanted. She told me no that she was crying because she was upset with herself for not handling it the right way and because she felt like she had let her friend down! In that moment, as I saw her brokenness and remorse, it was so tempting to give in and allow her to do what she had wanted to do. After all, it didn't just affect her, but also her friend. But I also knew as easy as it would've been to do that, the lesson would be longer lasting if even though she was repentant, she still had to pay the consequences. I think there is a time for both grace and paying the price of our decisions!
Well, later that day, she came out of her room and told us that God spoke to her about the situation through a song that played on the radio. At bedtime that night her devotions also spoke to her situation and she was so blessed by God speaking directly to her about her situation! God is awesome!
As I watched her that day going through her pain, I wanted to step in and make her feel better, but at the same time realizing she needed to experience this pain to learn that her choices have consequences, I had the thought that we often do the same thing with God! I believe there are times that God intends to bless us a certain way but in the middle of circumstances we want something bad enough that we are willing to compromise and go about trying to get it our own way that in the long run we invite heartache and pain into our situation that didn't need to be there! If we would just wait on God and allow Him to work things out according to His plan. Sometimes I think we miss out on the blessing all together like Alyssa did that day or other times we may still receive it but not without a painful journey of getting there that could've been avoided!
Some examples that I thought of from the Bible are Abraham and Sarah. They got impatient waiting on Isaac and took matters into their own hands! People are still paying the price for that choice! Jacob and Esau. I believe that God had a better plan than deceit to pass the birthright down through Jacob, but Jacob and Rebekah took matters into their own hands! Once again not only affecting themselves, but a whole nation!
I know there have been many times in my life that I have tried to go about doing things my own way instead of waiting on God's plan. Not necessarily anything bad, just not being willing to wait on His timing! I maneuver and work things out the way I think they should be so that I can reach this goal. A goal that possibly God wanted for me, but in trying to get their through my own means instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me and open the doors, I barge through closed doors and make a mess of things! Sometimes ruining the opportunity for that altogether and otherwise at least causing more work and or pain and often delaying it even more!
I'm learning more and more to wait on God and His timing. Sometimes "doing nothing" is exactly what God wants for us at that moment! We don't have to make things happen, we need to wait on God to open the doors and make the path clear!
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