AP Physics lab is at 6:45 AM. Yes, you read that correctly. It is early. It is dark. It is unholy. We have two vehicles, so even though my teen has a license, we take turns ferrying him. The other day, it was my turn.
In the snowy darkness, we joked about the visibility, the temperature and the early hour. As we made our way down the "hill of death" aka, the big hill, my son commented, "What fresh hell is this?" For reasons unknown to me, this made me laugh, a lot.
I dropped him at school and began driving back home. Yep, still dark with poor visibility. The highway was icy; I hate that. So I drove slower for conditions and I started thinking that the drive was a lot like my life.
I have had dark periods over the last two years. There have been times when I thought I would careen into a ditch spiritually and emotionally. What made the difference? God. He has provided me people and experiences to remind me that he is with me. The darkest moments were when I relied on my judgement without consulting his will. The brightest moments were when I put aside my own ego and simply said, "Help!"
Matthew 5:7 reminds me "Ask and it will be given to you; knock and the door will be opened to you." Why would Jesus say this if he didn't mean it? He wouldn't; He meant it. I had an interesting conversation with my son about this very passage. He said, "Well, what's the point of prayer? If everyone asks for a million dollars, everyone will not get it." He makes a valid point, but it doesn't cancel out the possibility of God's answer. Rather his point speaks to our values and finite view.
The Lord offers guidelines for prayer. In the old testament they include: The prayer of the upright pleases him (Proverbs 15:8) and humble yourself and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). In the new testament, Jesus answers the question directly in Matthew Chapter 6. He begins by cautioning his followers not to "keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." He then outlines the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us out debts ,
as we have forgiven our debtor.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Prayer cannot be compared to a spoiled child receiving his every whim. Far from it. We must acknowledge who we are speaking with and pray for our highest good (His will). We can ask for what we need, BUT we must be willing to forgive those who offend us. There is work involved in prayer!
Good job the God of the Universe loves me regardless. I know I have withered his infinite ears with some serious "babbling like a pagan." But here's the good news: He does know me. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13). God is a God of second chances and He is patient. His parenting skills are unparalleled; He lets us stumble and fall for our own good. We just need to learn from our mistakes.
He has been my co-pilot all along. I needed to stop going so fast, look over the manual and trust the teacher. I'm working on it.
 |
| Even St Francis needs a parka! |
I dropped him at school and began driving back home. Yep, still dark with poor visibility. The highway was icy; I hate that. So I drove slower for conditions and I started thinking that the drive was a lot like my life.
I have had dark periods over the last two years. There have been times when I thought I would careen into a ditch spiritually and emotionally. What made the difference? God. He has provided me people and experiences to remind me that he is with me. The darkest moments were when I relied on my judgement without consulting his will. The brightest moments were when I put aside my own ego and simply said, "Help!"
Matthew 5:7 reminds me "Ask and it will be given to you; knock and the door will be opened to you." Why would Jesus say this if he didn't mean it? He wouldn't; He meant it. I had an interesting conversation with my son about this very passage. He said, "Well, what's the point of prayer? If everyone asks for a million dollars, everyone will not get it." He makes a valid point, but it doesn't cancel out the possibility of God's answer. Rather his point speaks to our values and finite view.
The Lord offers guidelines for prayer. In the old testament they include: The prayer of the upright pleases him (Proverbs 15:8) and humble yourself and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). In the new testament, Jesus answers the question directly in Matthew Chapter 6. He begins by cautioning his followers not to "keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." He then outlines the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us out debts ,
as we have forgiven our debtor.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Prayer cannot be compared to a spoiled child receiving his every whim. Far from it. We must acknowledge who we are speaking with and pray for our highest good (His will). We can ask for what we need, BUT we must be willing to forgive those who offend us. There is work involved in prayer!
Good job the God of the Universe loves me regardless. I know I have withered his infinite ears with some serious "babbling like a pagan." But here's the good news: He does know me. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13). God is a God of second chances and He is patient. His parenting skills are unparalleled; He lets us stumble and fall for our own good. We just need to learn from our mistakes.
He has been my co-pilot all along. I needed to stop going so fast, look over the manual and trust the teacher. I'm working on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment