REFLECTIONS IN THE MIRROR…
I am one of those people who gets very frustrated with Christians who seem like part-time believers. Negativity goes hand and hand with doubting for me because I see doubting as not trusting God, and if you don’t trust God then how on earth can you call yourself a Christian. Oh how much I still have to learn…
My husband and I pray together daily, and when we pray, we pray believing. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I am a firm believer that doubting people can hinder my prayers. That is why I am very selective who I ask to pray for me. I don’t want doubting Thomases going to God on my behalf. I want those prayer warriors who will boldly go to God, believing that their prayer is going to be answered. Otherwise, why bother praying at all.
Do I believe completely that all prayers are answered? Yes, but not in the way that we may want them to be. When I pray for someone to be healed, I believe that they are going to be healed, whether it be through a miraculous intervention from God, through medical treatments, or even healing through death. I trust God, and although I am sometimes disappointed how He answers my prayers, I still believe that He answers them. I am fully aware that sometimes God needs me to align with what He knows is best for me in my life. Which means, sometimes my prayers don’t go as planned. Those are times when I learn to navigate around what I don’t see as unanswered prayers, but instead God seeing things that I can’t see.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
There was a song in the early nineties sung by Garth Brooks called, “Unanswered Prayers” in which the writer of that song thanks God for his prayers not being answered. Had his prayers been answered in the way in which he prayed for them to be, he wouldn’t have been as happy, as he ultimately ended up being. That’s why we have to accept that God knows what is best in our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we should pray half-heartedly, and with doubt in our minds. Praying in that manner is like telling a child that they can’t learn to ride a bike. By doubting, we are keeping the training wheels on, unable to accept the possibility that we can ride without them.
I think God sees us in that same way, only He doesn’t ever doubt that we can do incredible things, He knows that we can. He created us after all, and every one of us holds value in this world, and in God’s eyes there are places where only we as an individual can make a difference. Whether or not we see that value, depends on our ability to trust God, and believe that He made us all unique.
Our positive attitude has just as much of an impact on others as does our negative one. So why not be positive in our prayer life? As of late, a lot of naysayers and complainers have crept into my life. I have found myself enthusiastically praying for someone, only to have them doubting what they’ve asked me to pray for. Doubt to me is something that I don’t imagine a true Christian should feel, and so whenever I hear them being negative or complaining, I internally find myself screaming. To me, those types of Christians are the reason that so many people turn away from God, and want to avoid church at all cost because of their hypocrisy. Ugh, someone please tell me how someone can be pessimistic, and still call themselves a Christian? Judge much Cheryl?
With some self-evaluation over the past few weeks, I have come to realize that I am much easier on criminals than I am on Christians who step out of line. Thanks to the Holy Spirit holding a metaphoric mirror up to me, I saw the reflection of my judgmental attitude.
Each morning, I dawn my earbuds to listen to Christian music while I work out. However lately, I’ve found myself listening to sermons, seeking answers to things that bother me, such as how to deal with difficult people. I quite literally typed into my search engine, “sermon on how to deal with difficult people.” And you know what I learned from the sermon that I listened to? I can sometimes be one of those difficult people that are hard to deal with. I have become so intent on keeping other Christians inline that I’ve started stepping out of line with my judgement of them.
Shout out to you God for keeping me in check with the Holy Spirit…I truly needed to learn that about myself. My husband has often told me that I can’t make people be me, and he’s right, I can’t. My walk with God will never be the same as someone else’s walk with Him because He created us uniquely and our relationship with Him will be as unique.
I am always going to be imperfect, (as we all are) but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have value in God’s eyes, and that doesn’t mean that I can’t come to Him time and time again, asking for forgiveness because I can. What my imperfect Christian life does show about me is that God didn’t create me to be perfect. That’s why Jesus was born, and why He died for our sins; my sins.
What I continue to learn from God is that we all are loved by Him, not some of us, but all of us, so the next time you feel that you don’t have what it takes to come to Him in prayer, trust me, you do. Pray believing that He hears you. Pray knowing that He will answer your prayers in a way that is unique to you and your circumstances.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)
What that means is, if you pray with sincere, unwavering belief, God will grant your requests in the way that is best for you, so don’t let your fear in trusting what you can’t see, keep you going through life with training wheels on. Take a chance on trusting God because He is there for you, and He’s ready to listen, and when you fall (and you will fall now and again), He will be there to pick you up. I’ve fallen enough to know that…