“How are things going?”
“Not so good.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you talking to God?”
“Yes, but it’s not getting any better.”
“Then talk to Him MORE. What are you talking to Him about?”
“I’m asking Him ‘why?’ and asking Him to make things easier for us.”
“Maybe you should rethink WHAT you are talking to Him about. How about THANKING Him for what you DO have?”
“But we don’t have much. There’s not much to be thankful for!”
“There’s ALWAYS SOMETHING to thank God for. Give it serious thought. He wants to hear that you are thankful for the blessings you have right here, right now. He wants to hear your genuine heart. He wants to know that no matter what, you TRUST that all is as it’s supposed to be – HIS WILL, not yours. He wants to know that no matter what, you are grateful for the blessings He has given you. Until you are thankful to Him, nothing will get better. Also, how do you know that what’s going on right now isn’t preparing you for something BIGGER?”
Don’t ask to have your cross reduced you may need it’s size & length someday in the future.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. I struggled most of my life. I remember struggling as a kid in a single parent world – just my Mom and and my brother and I. God was a part of my life, but not a big part of it. I talked to him but basically only when I needed something. He always made sure that we never dropped too far to the bottom for us to handle, but we never seemed to catch a break. There was always SOMETHING going on – some emergency or unforeseen situation. I was and have always been kind to just about everyone, unless, of course they ticked me off or hurt me – then I could be very mean and negatively vocal. Sometimes I can still do this but I do my best not to anymore. I’m not perfect. But, it wasn’t until I started THANKING God for the things that were good in my life – after a while things got a little better. I started with thanking Him for the sunshine, my warm/cool/dry home, my health, my kid, my dogs, heck – even a cleaned room. The basics.
“Over time, things got deeper and more meaningful. I began opening up to God in ways I hadn’t before. I started trusting that whatever was going on in my world was happening for a reason. If I couldn’t affect or control any part of the outcome, I turned it over to God. Depending on the “thing”, I could and would turn it over to Him several times a day for days on end…finally I let those things go. I used to give to God and take it right back and worry more, then repeat the cycle. Now, I don’t repeat it as much. I’m still not perfect but I am better than where I was. Relationships take time. A relationship with God is no different. It takes time. you have to trust Him and He has to know that you are genuine. Otherwise, it’s fake and doomed for failure.
“Don’t ask God to change THINGS or other people. Ask God to change YOU. Trust Him to KNOW what’s best for you. For everyone. Bad stuff doesn’t come from God. The bad stuff comes from the evil in the world. There IS evil in the world. It wants to take over – but God WILL win in the end. Of that, I am confident. God battles our bad stuff daily, weekly, hourly. He gives us what we need to succeed victoriously. But He also gave us free will and the choice to take His gifts and instructions to further ourselves along and be victorious or we can choose to ignore them, thinking that we know what’s best and struggle all the more. I’ve been there and done that before – many times. I know better now.
“God wants to know that you know that whatever blessings He decides are yours, you will be happy with them. Can you do that?”
“I don’t know. That’s an awful lot.”
“God came to earth in the flesh to save us. I think THAT’S an awful lot.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’ve got some relationship-building to do.”
“I guess you do. I’m here if you ever need anything. I will help you in any way that I can. God bless you.”
**A synopsis of a real discussion I’ve had with a friend or two. Does it make sense to you? Talk to God. He loves you and wants to help you. You have to take the first step and keep on stepping. He will hold you and help you. You just gotta let Him.
PEACE
