SERENDIPITY: Opportunity

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Opportunity

Opportunity, that word keeps coming back to me! I am not kidding. It is there when I am reading during my quiet time, it lingers in my head. I was listening to our local, christian radio station last week and they were talking about mom's not getting frustrated. The d.j. said to not even pray for patience but to pray for peace. The whole back row of my car said, "Did you hear that, Mom? You should pray for peace not patience." (remember, that is my word for the year, patience) I thought about it for a second and told them I disagree. The radio guy was trying to say that patience might not come but peace will. Hmmmm......I guess it is the way you look at it. My BIG thing is this. I pray for patience. God isn't just going to shower me with patience, like glitter, and then all of a sudden I am patient. He is not going to give me a perfect day, No!! That is not how God works. A new day will give me plenty of OPPORTUNITY to be patient. Bobby showed me this scene in the movie Evan Almighty where the wife prays for her family to be together more. Then Evan (Noah) looses his job and starts building this "ark" in the backyard. She thinks he is crazy. She is at a diner with her boys, thinking about leaving him, when "God" comes up to her as the waiter. She spills her guts a little bit and then "God" says, isn't this what you prayed for? For your family to be together. This is your opportunity. And she looks like a light bulb went on! I love that scene. This morning during my quiet time it was talking about young David in the Bible. Before he even met the giant, he fought off a lion. Depends how you look at it. Poor young David had to fight a lion or what an opportunity God gave David. He had an opportunity to grow. The lion was God's opportunity in disguise. I used to pray for a direct answers. I remember praying for a hedge of protection while we were going through our neighbor situation. What a nightmare! But, I really was frightful at a time for the protection of our family. I would ask people to pray for a hedge of protection around our family. I sorta smile but God really did give us a hedge of protection. Our neighbor literally put a fence directly across our whole front yard, driveway and all. I was so angry but in a way, I prayed for it. He protected our family, literally. That has all been resolved (most of the fence remains) BUT it is a constant reminder that God answers prayer. (Don't get me wrong, I do not like that it is up but God allowed it to happen) Sometimes our prayers are not answered how we think they should be answered but He always answers prayer. God works in mysterious ways. I fail a TON but I can get right back up and start again. God is right there with me, helping me, encouraging me, giving me opportunities to trust Him, serve Him, to grow my faith.
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60 seconds a minute, 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day - Christians stand guard over the honor of God, choosing by their actions to glorify Him or to cause Him deep sorrow. Every breath we take, every job we do, every person we encounter and every crisis we face brings us a chance to serve God to honor Him by remembering our duty to Him, to be willing to sacrifice our very existence if His service demands it.
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At home I tell my kids, God has given you so many opportunities. These opportunities are here to give back everything you have, everything He made you to be and do, to serve Him. There really should be no excuses about anything. If it happens, it is your opportunity to grow, to show a character trait you never thought you had, to serve when you thought you didn't have time, to be completely "self-LESS". Life is full of opportunities to honor Him with our whole hearts, be conscience of it and just do it.

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IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same; If you bear to hear the truth you've spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, and lose, and start again at your beginnings, and never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the Will which says to them; "Hold on!" If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, If either foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the earth and everything that's in it, and which is more, you'll be a man, my son!

My Dad

our last christmas, little did we know!! we miss you-you are always in our thoughts. We sold his house, it was as if we had to say goodbye again. Nothing but fond memories. Movie night, hide and go seek, fishing, the beach, pool table, weight room, ice cream, bagels, peach diet iced tea, laughing...simply you. Miss you more than you will ever know. It feels as if it was just yesterday, thank God you are "free". "With your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye, go in peace and laugh on Glory's side. And fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus and LIVE....." .