A God Who Gives

 Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. -Philippians 2:4

Someone very special to me recently made me realize something: sometimes we are not given what we want, because God is using us to give someone else what they need.

I have wasted a lot of time and too much anger being confused and frustrated with God, myself and others because He will not give me what it is I want.  However, I'm starting to see that God does not withhold things because we are unworthy (let's face it, if that were the case, we wouldn't get anything) or because He doesn't want us to be happy. Sometimes God withholds our desires from us because they get in the way of someone else's needs. Sometimes He withholds our desires from us because He desires something much greater than we do.

This is a tough pill to swallow, because let's face it, we are all to some extent egocentric beings.  I would love to have some desires of my own to come to fruition.  I have prayed they would, hoped they would, wished they would. However, God knows that those desires either are not right for me or are not right for me right now.  When the time is  right for me to get the things I want, they will be given to me freely and joyfully by Christ. If that time never comes, it is because Christ is going to give me something better than what I could have asked for myself. Either way, until that time comes, I can rest assured that whether or not I always get what I want, I always get what I need.

You Are Not Alone

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. -Romans 12:15

This week has been a humbling lesson in how badly I need others.  I am fiercely independent, to the point of stubbornness.  However, recently God has been pressing on me my need for fellowship.

I am not a "sharer." If something is bothering me, I tend to bottle it up and hide the bottle far, far away. Not only is this unhealthy, but it is also counterproductive. You see, feelings come to the surface in the end, one way or another. Either, you can express them at the time you are feeling them (which is what an emotionally mature person does) or you can hide them away and hope they vanish (which is what I do). If you do the latter, you are only temporarily extinguishing your emotions. They eventually resurface, and usually in an unhealthy way- such as anger.

However, recently God has put people in my life that not only allow me to share with them, but that encourage me to.  As I have grown with Christ, I am slowly becoming more and more aware of my complete and utter helplessness without Him. This is not something to be ashamed of; it is something to be rejoiced.  It is not until we admit and accept our helplessness that we are able to fully give ourselves to God.

Christ wants us to be dependent on Him. Christ also wants us to be dependent upon one another as followers in Christ.  He has created us as beings who yearn for companionship- even Jesus had disciples. 

So, instead of pretending like we can handle our wearisome burdens, it is right and pleasing in God's eyes if we throw up our hands and say "God, I need you to handle this! I need others to comfort me! I can't do this!" I think once we do this, God smiles and says, "Don't worry, my child, you are not alone."

A Thankful Heart

 Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I had a very wise person tell me something this weekend that struck me. She said "sometimes you should pray just to tell God 'thanks' ".

When times are tough I transform into this prayer warrior; I constantly pray for wisdom, strength, patience and peace. When life is so-so or really great, my prayers are not nearly as passionate or as constant.  We often see prayer as a time to ask for help, which it surely is, but it is also a time to tell God thanks for all the blessings He has given us.

Right now is a time in my life where I am flying high and feeling surrounded by God's love and blessings.  So, I want to consciously and thoughtfully make the effort to take the time to thank God. Without Him, I would be nothing and have nothing to be thankful for.

However, I know that there will be those days when things get tough again. I should thank God then too. Scripture says to give thanks in all circumstances. This means to thank God not only for His blessings, grace and love, but also to thank Him for the struggles and the heartache because they are also gifts from God. When times are tough, I don't understand God's purpose for the obstacles I am given. Sometimes, I even feel bitter about them. However, maybe God allows these trying times to happen so that we can grow closer to Him, or so that we can learn our own strength or for many other reasons that we cannot fully grasp. Either way, if we trust in Christ, He will always do what is best for us, even if it doesn't seem so at the moment.

So, this is just me saying thanks for all that I have been given. I could probably never say it often enough, but Thank you God.