Vol. 21 No. 41 | October 14, 2019
Sometimes things don’t go as planned.
The car won’t start when we need to get to work, or your baby’s diaper needs changing just as we are about to leave the house.
Sometimes our flight gets delayed, we get stuck in traffic, or we get sick while on vacation.
And sometimes, no matter what we do, our dreams really won’t come true.
So, how do you handle yourself when things don’t go according to plan? Do you get angry and blame someone else? Do you kick and scream, and question God’s existence because you didn’t get what you wanted?
We all do one or all of these things when we feel defeated, and it’s natural to have negative thoughts and feelings. We need to give ourselves permission to feel what we feel. But then, we need to take a step back and pray for an enlightened perspective.
Here are two that help me when I’m struggling
When Jesus was being dragged to the cross, this is how He responded:
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will. (Matthew 26:39, NIV)
While imprisoned, Paul wrote:
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12, NIV)
These responses sound reasonable enough, don’t they? But to reach that kind of peace and acceptance with God’s will takes discipline and only comes as a result of developing a deeply intimate relationship with God. And that means spending a lot of time with the Word and in prayer.
So the next time something doesn’t go as planned, we’re going to have to decide how to react. But this time, let’s try a different approach. Let’s first do “nothing.” Let’s just take a few minutes to pray and remind ourselves of Jesus’s words:
Yet not as I will, but as you will.
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Tom Norvell’s Coaching & Counseling
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