"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God(namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part(Matt 7:7-11). Many of the so called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship.
Prayer is the act by which the will of the father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of the God, but to secure for ourselves the blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." ~BD, Prayer
I was reminded of the truth in this quote last night. Reminded of who I am. That I have to do my part to achieve the goals I set. Also, that God is more than willing to help me in my weaknesses. I only need remember our relationship, His and my active roles.
A few differences of God and our fathers here on earth is: He is perfect. He is all knowing. And He loves us, no matter how many times we fall, if we reach for Him as Peter reached for Christ on the sea*, He will lift us up. He will help us brush off and go forward. He gives us strength when we think we have gone as far as we can. He understands us completely.
As I come to understand this more, it is easier for me to turn to Him. It is easier to recognize He really does want what is best for me. In wanting what is best for me He is going to stretch me, sometimes more than I feel is necessary. However, if I am willing to put my trust in Him, His role and turn to Him in humility I can and will find the strength to move forward. I will succeed and I will find true happiness.
*Matthew 14:25-31 My favorite verses of these given are 30 and 31, so I will quote them here:
30- "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid(speaking of Peter); and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me."
now, here is my favorite part:
31- "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Now, Peter was chastised for doubting, but of all of the apostles, he was the only one with faith enough to try. Christ loved him enough to reach for him immediately after being asked for help. I just find this comforting.
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trust. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Lesson From Life
A lesson and/or thought keeps coming back to me. I thought I would take a moment to share it.
Have you ever found yourself looking at another and wondering why they do things the way they do? What is their motive? or simply, what are they thinking? Now, have you stopped to think that they may look at you with the same questions?
On with my thought. I believe that everyone whether intentionally or not is striving for perfection. In one shape of the word or another. Now bare with me, I know, there are those with "white trash yards"(been there) maybe the always seem frazzled(there too) maybe their shirt is wrinkled(who has that not happened to?) Or they have a sink full of dishes, toys all over their house. Some things we notice may be trivial, others we may feel are life and death. Maybe none have noticed these things. In that case, this blog is not for you, others are thankful for your lack of sight.
Okay, now I have you thinking, you might even be thinking of someone in particular. I am finding at different seasons in my life that I am beginning to understand more and more how these things can happen. But this isn't where I wanted to go, so I will move on.
We all will agree we are striving for perfection right? So what is perfection? For one it may be an immaculate house. For another, happy creative children. Some may want vast amounts of knowledge, while others are wanting to experience it all. Some want the know how, others to teach. There are so many of us out there, it would take me forever to list us all. However, I think you have the idea. Moving on.
Everyone has their own idea of what the perfection is they are trying to reach. I am finding though that there is someone out there who knows better than ourselves, not only what our potential is but how we can obtain even a greater perfection than we can see for our selves. That is our Heavenly Father.
The right is ours to work on perfection for ourselves single handedly, but how realistic is that? With out experiencing life, how can we walk in others shoes, how can we grow to our potential? With out Heavenly Fathers assistance, how can we endure those cruel times (that we can sometimes look back on and laugh at)? With out the Savior how would we be able pick ourselves up after a great fall, brush ourselves off, and return to the race we signed up for long before we can recall?
I find more each day how perfect God's plan is. Not only is it tailored to us as individuals, It is also tailored to us as individuals. I am finding again and again how Heavenly Father knows me better than I do. Not only that, but he really does have our happiness at heart. If this is honestly the case, He definitely knows you just as well. Then comes the difficult part, I have to remind myself "who am I to judge? I don't know what has brought that brother/sister to this point. Nor do I know what Heavenly Father has in store for either of us."
When I have this thought, instead of judging I try to see what I can do to help, and if the help is not wanted, I trust they are putting it in bigger hands than my own and hope that the same would be done if someone is looking my way. By the way, Heavenly Father has blessed me with plenty of hands having been stretched my direction, and I hope I show the appreciation I feel to each of them.
Have you ever found yourself looking at another and wondering why they do things the way they do? What is their motive? or simply, what are they thinking? Now, have you stopped to think that they may look at you with the same questions?
On with my thought. I believe that everyone whether intentionally or not is striving for perfection. In one shape of the word or another. Now bare with me, I know, there are those with "white trash yards"(been there) maybe the always seem frazzled(there too) maybe their shirt is wrinkled(who has that not happened to?) Or they have a sink full of dishes, toys all over their house. Some things we notice may be trivial, others we may feel are life and death. Maybe none have noticed these things. In that case, this blog is not for you, others are thankful for your lack of sight.
Okay, now I have you thinking, you might even be thinking of someone in particular. I am finding at different seasons in my life that I am beginning to understand more and more how these things can happen. But this isn't where I wanted to go, so I will move on.
We all will agree we are striving for perfection right? So what is perfection? For one it may be an immaculate house. For another, happy creative children. Some may want vast amounts of knowledge, while others are wanting to experience it all. Some want the know how, others to teach. There are so many of us out there, it would take me forever to list us all. However, I think you have the idea. Moving on.
Everyone has their own idea of what the perfection is they are trying to reach. I am finding though that there is someone out there who knows better than ourselves, not only what our potential is but how we can obtain even a greater perfection than we can see for our selves. That is our Heavenly Father.
The right is ours to work on perfection for ourselves single handedly, but how realistic is that? With out experiencing life, how can we walk in others shoes, how can we grow to our potential? With out Heavenly Fathers assistance, how can we endure those cruel times (that we can sometimes look back on and laugh at)? With out the Savior how would we be able pick ourselves up after a great fall, brush ourselves off, and return to the race we signed up for long before we can recall?
I find more each day how perfect God's plan is. Not only is it tailored to us as individuals, It is also tailored to us as individuals. I am finding again and again how Heavenly Father knows me better than I do. Not only that, but he really does have our happiness at heart. If this is honestly the case, He definitely knows you just as well. Then comes the difficult part, I have to remind myself "who am I to judge? I don't know what has brought that brother/sister to this point. Nor do I know what Heavenly Father has in store for either of us."
When I have this thought, instead of judging I try to see what I can do to help, and if the help is not wanted, I trust they are putting it in bigger hands than my own and hope that the same would be done if someone is looking my way. By the way, Heavenly Father has blessed me with plenty of hands having been stretched my direction, and I hope I show the appreciation I feel to each of them.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dancing with God
My mother was going through some old papers and found this among them. I hope you enjoy it.
"When I meditated on the word of Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try leading , nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back, or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. Its as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God,""u," and "i"dance. God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and guide you through each season of your life."
~Anonymous
"When I meditated on the word of Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try leading , nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back, or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. Its as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God,""u," and "i"dance. God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and guide you through each season of your life."
~Anonymous
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