So the past few weeks around here
have been some of the most topsy-turvy that I can recall. Although over all
things have gone really well and it’s been a really good summer, so far it’s just been
absolutely nothing like I had expected. No really, it feels like every time that
I feel like I’ve got a plan for the day or some expectation of how things
should work out it doesn’t go anything like I had imagined.
Time and time again our best laid
plans have had to been abandoned completely or altered significantly. I finally got to the
point on Saturday when we had another day that ended up taking a completely
different direction where I could laugh and just go with the flow. It’s
interesting because the first couple of times that stuff like this started
happening I was full of all sorts of negative emotions. I even spent
almost a whole day needing to physically distance myself from one of the kids
because I was so upset with them because their actions caused us to have to
completely give up on the plans we had made for the day. I knew it wasn’t
really altogether their fault but it took a while for me to get to that point
where I could handle it like an adult instead of wanting to throw a temper
tantrum!
When stuff like this happens I try
and distance myself a bit from the situation and think about what it is that I
can learn from it. I’m still not sure really why but I’ve got a few ideas.
First, I need to remember that
God is in control – not me. This one can be hard for me at times. I’m what you
might call a wee bit of a control freak. Which basically means I freak out when
I don’t feel in control. Which usually means I spend a lot of time freaking
out. Somewhere in the back of my mind though I know that His ways and plans are
always much better than mine and I’ve got to learn to let go and trust in Him.
Second, sometimes it’s the effort
that counts. So many of the things that I felt went really wrong were times
that I had really wanted to do something good and it just didn’t happen the way
I thought it would. I got really frustrated focusing on the time, energy, and
resources that went into these things was wasted. In the end I have to believe
that in someway those good efforts are never really wasted. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “And we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God.” Romans 8:28.
Third, it’s important to be able
to be flexible. I once heard the saying, “blessed are the flexible for they
shall not be bent out of shape.” Like it or not stuff does just seem to happen.
If we can learn to make the most of whatever it is that we’re given and enjoy
it then we’ll be much better off than if we complain and grumble about it. It
also brings to mind the lines from the serenity prayer. “God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change…”
In the end I think God makes the
most of whatever we give Him. It’s not our job to try and figure everything out
and plan it all perfectly – because we can’t. We don’t know what those twists
and turns will be or how something may affect things in the future. It’s our
job to give our best to Him and allow Him to make the most of it. I know that I’m
not done learning from the twists and challenges we’ve faced over the past little while
but I think I’ll take some advice from Kronk and put my hands in the air the
next time that roller coaster of life catches me off guard!
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| http://adventuresofalostboy.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/51-days-of-disney-day-40-the-emperors-new-groove/ |
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