Sunday, July 25, 2010

God's Timing is So Exciting

I have been concerned about some personal household issues this past year. Every so often, I even lost my temper when trying to get a point across. I know in my heart that my words are not going to make any difference is this person's attitude. Lately, I've taken to trying the famous AA "Serenity Prayer" approach - trying to accept what I cannot change.

Meanwhile, I've been praying, hard, for God to make those changes for me. I've carefully added, "...yet not my will, but Thine be done." I really didn't expect anything to happen in my lifetime.

Today, I was astounded by two wonderful changes in this person. In one area of our household issues, he has voluntarily admitted that he has gone off track and allowed me to shoulder some tasks that he could easily do himself, and that he did handle, in the past. He mentioned that he wants to make a change and get back to the way he used to do those things.

The other issue truly amazed me. I will probably have to submit to bunion-and-hammertoe surgery late this year. I have been holding off, knowing I would need to be off my feet for several weeks, worried about how the household would fare. Today, again, voluntarily, he said that if the podiatrist agreed it is a good idea, and if I feel good about it, that it might be a very good thing, in other ways, too. He said that this would force him to do some things to help me that he probably should be doing anyway.

I am really surprised. I shouldn't be surprised, because once I got out of the way, and I submitted to God's will, God was able to work wonders in his own way.

I remember a time, back in NJ, in the 70s. I was still not attending any church at that time (a 30 year absence, in total), but a co-worker and friend talked me into a Charismatic conference. When I walked into that huge room, with all those people, I felt such an outpouring of love that I'll never forget it.

The other thing, directly related to tonight's post, was what one of the speakers shared. She and her husband had been praying very hard about the behavior of their son, in his late teens. Arguments were frequent and heated. There didn't seem to be any progress. Finally, they got out of the way and began a reverse approach. When the son left the cap off the milk bottle and forgot to put it back in the fridge, they said, "Thank you, Lord, that he at least got some nutritious milk into him." In similar fashion, they handled all the issues that they previously had argued over. In an amazingly short time, the son came to them one evening, apologized for his "rude, childish, and selfish" behavior, promised to change, and did.

Wonderful things happen when we get out of the way and let God take over.

Thank you, Dear Father, for this incredible turnaround today!

1 comment:

Vaughnde said...

Amen! We just have to get our "self" out of the way :) Let me know when you do go in for your foot surgery. I'll be praying that you will heal quickly. I had a friend that had it done on both feet in the same year just months apart.