When I get out of the way and get rid of my preconceptions of how He should touch my life and when, things work out better than I expect. His plan is always better. Always, and I know that.
However, we humans develop and hold onto preconceptions to just about everything, people, places, books, movies, and the list goes on and on and on. These opinions color our world. Some in beautiful ways, others are not so pretty, and these instant judgments shackle our imaginations, and our ability to accept people, things and circumstances. as well as our ability to see God's hand in our lives.
As a matter of fact, I have yet to see the answer to my prayers materialize in the way I thought they should. God is always out of the box in that regard. Some of His answers take years to form and come to fruition, and, rarely, if ever, in the way I asked.
The lesson is: life is easier when I don't put my spin on what He should do, how and when He should do it. Preconception is exactly the opposite of "let go, and let God".
This holiday season is rampant with expectations, many of which will be unfulfilled in our preconceived notions. Are our expectations too high? Absolutely not. We can never aim too high when it comes to God. However, our preconceived ideas of how the events should play out are often disappointed and can even blind us to His answers. I repeat, His most powerful interventions occur when I step out of the way, when I least expected them, and in ways I believed impossible.
My new resolution is to step back and watch Him do the unexpected. I may not always like His answer. It may not be the spectacular miracle I wanted or felt I needed, but it will be what He wants for me, and somehow, someway it will be what is good for me. This is where faith steps in, trusting He loves me enough to send the hard stuff as well as the good in order to deepen my character and faith. Preconceptions just get in the way - of a lot of things.
Lord, make this the year you heal my blindness. Amen.
I can relate to this. My prayers are rarely answered in the way I expect. Having NO plans seems to work best, when it comes to God! Just let Him do whatever, and learn to be flexible. That's what is giving me more freedom these days. A priest once told me, the best prayer is "whatever, Lord." I think about that alot!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas!
I like that prayer. Same as "Your will be done." Merry Christmas to you too, Mare.
ReplyDeleteAmen...I am with you on this prayer for the New Year. I don't think I place God in a box and yet the reality is I do...and He keeps tearing the box apart to reveal even more of Himself to me
ReplyDeleteI am surprised as the year comes to an end how much of what He did this year was beyond my thoughts
Blessings to you as we both move forward believing God
Blessings to you too, Janette, as we move into the New Year looking forward to many more unexpected blessings.
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