When I was about 13 years old, there was a lady who spoke to us kids about how we need to pray about everything, including our future, and specifically the qualities we wanted in the guy we would someday marry. She said we could also make a list and ask God specifically the kind of person you would want to marry. So I took a piece of paper and wrote down my list and started praying about it too. After about a week, when I went through my list, I didn't quite agree with it and wanted a few changes. So I removed a few points and added some and made changes to some. And then after a few days, again I found that I wanted to make a few more changes. And this went on, till the paper was full of cuts and updates and it was time to bring in a new sheet and write down a fresh list. And again like before, this was followed by updates and updates and then a new list again..... And all the time my list changed, so did my prayers :)
Eventually I grew up and around the time I got married, I still had a list with me, which was almost completely different from that first list I had made. God brought this amazing guy into my life, who had some of those qualities that my list had, but didn't quite comply with most of the points on that list.
Jerry is probably the most amazing human being I have met. There is not a day that goes by, when I haven't thanked God for bringing someone so perfectly 'right' in my life. Whenever I look into his eyes, my heart always sends out a silent 'Thank you' to God. In every sense, he is the perfect guy for me. He has the right level of maturity, right 'sense of humor' level and the right 'being serious' level, the right level of understanding, the right level of being easy and the right level of being firm. Oh.... He fits the words 'Mr. Right' to the tee. I keep telling my family, relatives, friends that I am married to the best husband in this world and know what? Most of them agree with me. I'm incredibly blessed to be married to someone so wonderful, loving, caring, sensible..... okay I got to stop here or would just go on and on. In short - Jerry is everything I could wish for and more.
But remember, Jerry didn't match my list. God didn't give me what I thought I wanted. Because God knew me better. God knew 'my list' better than me. So while I was praying with some 'forever changing' list, God was working on my dear husband according to 'His list'.
If not the kind of list I had, you may have some list that you have put before God. Just imagine, what if God had answered the prayer I made with my first list. What a disaster that would have been. If God does not answer our prayers, it’s for our own good and blessing. With our '13 year old' brain the best that we can come up with is just a silly list. Boy! I can't thank God enough for not sticking to my list. We sometimes need to thank God for not answering our prayers.
God didn't give me my list...... He gave me more.... a great deal more..... Give your list to God. But don't worry when you don't get your list, cos God has a great deal more.....
And today as we complete another beautiful, happy and blessed year of being together, there is no doubt about this, God's list proved to be the best. Like God's word says - More than you ask or imagine.....
And to the most amazing guy in the world - Happy Wedding Anniversary, Sweetheart.
Ephesians 3:20 (AMP) - Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
MY WAY Vs. GOD’s WAY
Last night my husband came back from a ‘not so great’ day at work. He is usually not the kind of person who likes to talk or discuss about his problems He usually talks about the problem only after he has handled it and it’s sorted. He’s quiet when something is wrong and that’s my cue to know the fact that my husband is upset about something. But he does look up to me a lot to support him by praying for him.
Yesterday was different in the sense that he seemed to want to talk about it. This was a welcome change cos you see the way we women were created we feel a certain pride when someone trusts us to talk about their problems with us. So as I was cooking dinner, my husband just came and helped me around as he was telling me about his day and how things didn’t work out as expected. I know Jerry is very systematic and passionate about what he does and that he had worked during weekends and late nights for this particular meeting and I felt bad for him and all I could say was – 'we’ll pray and everything will be alright.'
Today morning my bible portion was about handling adversity and the important role ‘Faith’ played in our lives, in our relationship with God, in living a successful life and in being a good human being.
I was sharing with my husband about what I had learnt this morning. In fact for the last few days I had this same kind of reading where the same truth was taught to me in different ways.
There are two ways we can go about doing something. One is our way of, let’s say, handling a project. And another is God’s way of handling the same project. Undoubtedly, God’s way is way beyond better than our way. Here is where Faith plays an important role. Faith is that key that allows God to handle the project in His way. Okay let me explain this in a better way.
Sometimes when we are very efficient and creative and hardworking and have all the knowledge required, we became so easily confident in what we do, which is a good thing. But then it’s not like we think we don’t need God’s help but just that we forget to ask for God to help. So here we trust on our own work and efforts. No matter what, things can go wrong and as humans there is no insurance against that. When we cannot handle something and are weak it’s easy to ask God for help but when we are very good at something and have done a great job handling it and got good appreciations, at such times we begin to believe that we are great at this and then we forget to ask God for help or to rely on Him and be confident in God.
One, we can do it with all the resources and help and the efficiency that we have. The second and the better way of doing something is, by putting in your best but then praying about it to God and surrendering it in God’s hands so that He would take what we have done and bless it and make it hundred, thousand fold more. Remember the story of the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Exactly the same.
Now in the scenario that we begin to get real good at what we do and forget to take God’s help, we do our best and not God’s best. Sometimes we are even satisfied and happy with that but the good news is that, God isn’t satisfied with that. He wants to take our intelligence and creativity and hard work and bless it (again like the 5 loaves and 2 fishes) and make something very beautiful out of it. So when we forget to ask God for help, when we forget to rely on God, when we forget to put our ‘Faith’ in God, God loves us too much to just let us be like that. So sometimes He has to remind us to rely on Him. He has to remind us to put our ‘Faith’ in Him so that we cross over from just doing a good job to doing a good job and having God bless it into many times more.
My husband is looking into what needs to be sorted and set things right and he’s going to do a good job at that but I am sure this time he is definitely going to put things in God’s hands and ask for His blessings. And things will go God’s way, which is the safest and the most blessed way.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 (AMP)- Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
Yesterday was different in the sense that he seemed to want to talk about it. This was a welcome change cos you see the way we women were created we feel a certain pride when someone trusts us to talk about their problems with us. So as I was cooking dinner, my husband just came and helped me around as he was telling me about his day and how things didn’t work out as expected. I know Jerry is very systematic and passionate about what he does and that he had worked during weekends and late nights for this particular meeting and I felt bad for him and all I could say was – 'we’ll pray and everything will be alright.'
Today morning my bible portion was about handling adversity and the important role ‘Faith’ played in our lives, in our relationship with God, in living a successful life and in being a good human being.
I was sharing with my husband about what I had learnt this morning. In fact for the last few days I had this same kind of reading where the same truth was taught to me in different ways.
There are two ways we can go about doing something. One is our way of, let’s say, handling a project. And another is God’s way of handling the same project. Undoubtedly, God’s way is way beyond better than our way. Here is where Faith plays an important role. Faith is that key that allows God to handle the project in His way. Okay let me explain this in a better way.
Sometimes when we are very efficient and creative and hardworking and have all the knowledge required, we became so easily confident in what we do, which is a good thing. But then it’s not like we think we don’t need God’s help but just that we forget to ask for God to help. So here we trust on our own work and efforts. No matter what, things can go wrong and as humans there is no insurance against that. When we cannot handle something and are weak it’s easy to ask God for help but when we are very good at something and have done a great job handling it and got good appreciations, at such times we begin to believe that we are great at this and then we forget to ask God for help or to rely on Him and be confident in God.
One, we can do it with all the resources and help and the efficiency that we have. The second and the better way of doing something is, by putting in your best but then praying about it to God and surrendering it in God’s hands so that He would take what we have done and bless it and make it hundred, thousand fold more. Remember the story of the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Exactly the same.
Now in the scenario that we begin to get real good at what we do and forget to take God’s help, we do our best and not God’s best. Sometimes we are even satisfied and happy with that but the good news is that, God isn’t satisfied with that. He wants to take our intelligence and creativity and hard work and bless it (again like the 5 loaves and 2 fishes) and make something very beautiful out of it. So when we forget to ask God for help, when we forget to rely on God, when we forget to put our ‘Faith’ in God, God loves us too much to just let us be like that. So sometimes He has to remind us to rely on Him. He has to remind us to put our ‘Faith’ in Him so that we cross over from just doing a good job to doing a good job and having God bless it into many times more.
My husband is looking into what needs to be sorted and set things right and he’s going to do a good job at that but I am sure this time he is definitely going to put things in God’s hands and ask for His blessings. And things will go God’s way, which is the safest and the most blessed way.
Proverbs 3:5, 6 (AMP)- Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
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