The kids were up super early this morning. 4:30 a.m. to be exact. The baby woke up first. Then the boys heard me get up with her, and they wanted to come down stairs too. I told them it was fine as long as everyone promised to take a nap in the afternoon. Well, saying and doing are two different things. How in the world was I going to get my two napless boys to sleep in the middle of the day all by myself?
So, I planned a drive. In the car the kids are still, they listen to music, and they relax better. And, all at the same time! It’s a win-win for this mama.
It didn’t take long for the girls to close their eyes, but the boys were holding on. I ended up driving through the drive-thru and ordering them a 10-pack of donut-holes. We’ve gotten the kids this same treat many times before, and we always order an assorted mix. The problem is, everyone always has a favorite kind, and there’s never enough of that one kind in the box. Sometimes we even get a box full of all of the kinds we don’t like. Oh, brother!
Keeping this in mind, I was more assertive about our order. I ordered exactly what they liked: 3 blueberry, 3 birthday cake, and 4 chocolate. Everyone was happy and satisfied. Hallelujah!
This got me thinking. How many times has God presented me with the opportunity to have exactly what I want and the means to pursue it, but I’ve sat on my rear end and waited for that supernatural moment of doors flinging wide open to happen instead? Usually the end result isn’t always happy or satisfying. I’m not saying that miracle moments like this never happen, but more often than not God gives us free will—the freedom to choose His way over our own.
Immediately this scripture comes to mind: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV)
In this scripture I realized there is no end result without an action of pursuit. And, God has called His people to be a people of action! I’m supposed to be a doer and a pursuer! What good is faith without works?
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?…faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:14, 26 ESV)
Okay, so this past year I homeschooled my oldest. We started with some pre-school material, but he excelled very quickly. So, we moved onto kindergarten material. Near the end of the school year, as expected, the public school system sent us paperwork for kindergarten registration. I started going through the motions to register him for kindergarten. Then one day I was listening to him read a book independently. I got a knot in the pit of my stomach. I had grown complacent in advocating for my child’s education and was just doing what everyone else was doing—what I thought I was supposed to do. Because, that’s just how it always goes. I was willing to ignore that he needed to be a first grade student this coming school year in order to grow in his education. I didn’t think I had an option. I had said “I can’t” before even trying.
I immediately opened up my laptop and sent an e-mail to the district explaining our circumstances. I told them about the records I kept, the portfolio we made, and the video proof of his work. They asked to evaluate my son to see if he was in fact ready for first grade. After his evaluation, the teacher who worked with him told me, “there’s absolutely no need for him to go to kindergarten.” (Our education story isn’t over yet, and perhaps I’ll share the rest of it soon. But, it’s not time for that right now.)
Wow. The favor of God is present in my life! But, would it have been if I hadn’t taken action first? Well…we still would have had God’s favor on us, but it wouldn’t have been exactly what we wanted. Sound familiar? Kind of like ordering an assorted pack of donut holes without specifying which ones I like best.
Unfortunately, I can think of times in my life when I went through with something just because “that’s how things are,” or because that’s what was expected of me, or because someone else told me there was no way around it—that what I wanted was impossible. But, how many of those instances were a ‘won’t’ rather than a ‘can’t’? How many times have I expected God to prevail or protect me without putting actions together with my faith?
Jesus didn’t say, “just sit around and do nothing and you will find.” No! He said “seek and you will find.” He didn’t say, “sit at the door and it will be opened.” No! He said “knock and the door will be opened.” Jesus didn’t say, “everyone will know exactly what you need if you just trust me.” No! He said, “ask and you will receive.” Ask! Ask! Ask!
I believe this doesn’t only apply to asking God strictly through prayer. I believe it applies to asking people too. Okay, Cheyenne. Ask questions, pursue answers, make unconventional decisions, and most importantly, follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. Yes!
Hear the Spirit say, “This is the way! Walk in it!” (Isaiah 30:21 paraphrased)
But, I have to walk! I can’t just stand there and expect to miraculously end up in the way and will of God. Ha! Ha! It’s sounding humorous to me now.
Alright. Alright. Yes, God does show up in the unexpected and do amazing and wonderful miracles. I have witnessed these moments first hand. But, God doesn’t do everything for me. Just like I don’t do everything for my children. I’m not raising lazy and dependent people. And, neither is God. Ouch. Yeah, you read that correctly.
I was created to be a co-heir with Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17) Which means what? It means I have a role in the Kingdom of Heaven. It means I have a purpose. What would royalty look like if it was used for luxury only? I can think of a few words: disgusting, arrogant, wasteful, indolent, and entitled. Do any of these sound like the Bride of Christ? Nope. Not to me. I would use words like these to describe the Bride of Christ: bold, assertive, wise, humble, kind, thorough, and purposeful. Hmmm. Now that sounds more like someone who has been called according to His purpose. (Proverbs 31, Romans 8:28).
There are a lot of decisions coming my way, and you bet your britches I’m going to be a person of godly action! I’m going to be assertive and I’m going to take charge—making decisions with honor, grace, wisdom, and kindness like a true Bride of Christ and Co-heir with Christ.
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