Blessed to Bless

The Preferred and the Permitted. When He did not give up on you, in fact, many times no one knew you messed up, but He always as a loving Father, kept His side of His promise to you. Did you deserve it.? No! I think sometimes you want Him to come to where you are heading, even though it may not be what He had in mind for you. Don't get me wrong, He may permit it, but that might not have been His preferred choice for you. Why.? Because you took the wrong turning - you were far gone into it- your impatience took the lead. He would have preferred another direction for you. Do you remember Father Abraham and Mama Sarah situation in the bible.? Ok! Isaac was the promise child, but what happened.? The two made some choices that ended up with the birth of Ishmael by Haggar– this was not God’s preferred choice yet He permitted it. When you get to the ‘roundabout’ of life, take the exit that brings you back to where you detoured in the first place. Sometimes you may think you are taking a short cut, oh dear, how did I end up here, you ask. What you want or the way you want things done does not mean you have it all sussed out. God sees what you cannot see and like a child who goes into tantrums in a supermarket, just because his demands are turned down by the father. Father dear still has a lot of patience and knows how to reason with the child without adding to the commotion. Many times, the father would take the child aside, from the public area and the talk that goes on would just be between father and child. If the child needed a telling off, and learn to behave, it was all between the both of them, no one had to know what father dear told her child- it could be anything he said– but it was not done in public view to embarrass the child. So, if the father would go to any length to cover the child’s shameful behaviour, how much more our Father God. When you want it now and God is saying ‘wait I know the best time to answer this prayer- this request’. It’s not all of us who will take the ‘Mama Sarah’s route’, even though you may be tempted to – the quick fix. A little wait, a little more time, and it would have arrived on a platter the way it was meant to be – the preferred way. Sometimes we go on and on about what God has not done. You should ask yourself whether you do all that He asks you to do. When you don’t see Him on your chosen path, you think He has detoured. No, He hasn’t, you have. Because you are looking for Him and don’t seem to catch a glimpse of Him on your path does not mean He has done a runner. If anything, it’s you who have forsaken Him- one minute you were together with Him and the next minute you were gone, doing your own thing- making noises why you haven’t received -like the child in the shop. You may not shout it out to the Lord like this child, but our action and attitude shows exactly that. You think your direction is the best and therefore expects Him to be there too, but then when He says, “no child, that is not the way to go, turn this way”, you become frustrated and start looking for other options. Ouch! This hurts, this is deep. Wait and see- the Father knows what He is doing. Sorry Daddy, I have come a long way to understand this concept. Who are you to throw tantrums at God the Father, just because whatever you are expecting seems to be long time coming.? Who are you.? Where were you when He found you? Please, I wouldn’t even want to touch on that – yet He picked you up and brushed you down, all filth and washed you clean. Yes, we’ve all made many detours along the way, but did He give up on us.? No, He never -He has never put us to shame. Between you and Him, He has sorted you out, covered your shame, justified you as if nothing happened. He received you and your faults, worked through them with you, and showed you the way up and out of the horrible pit. I have come to know along the years that good friends are hard to come by, but this One friend is here and near, and also happens to be our heavenly Father. In hindsight when you reflect on His patience and love towards you through your hard times, you can categorically say that, had it not been Him you were talking to, or should I say moaning to, during most sleepless nights, where would you be.? Personally, I don’t think He was fed up with my tantrums, the only thing was, it would go so quiet, I would be the only one in the room talking to myself. In that stillness, I would immediately repent and say sorry for my wallowing, and suddenly my language would change to words of positive affirmation, or a bible verse of praise would drop in my heart– where did that praise come from? It came from a daughter who had come to realize the presence and the love of her Father in that stillness, and that He was not far away but ever so near. When I went about wandering all over the place, He was there. Between the father and child in the shop, suddenly the atmosphere changes completely to what they both desired. Our Father God knows His children more that they know themselves. He knows how to win them back the way He prefers their relationship to be. ‘From now on Lord, I choose to wait for Your preferred plans for me. You may allow or permit my wrong and hasty choices, but please save me from the headaches and hassle that comes with it by me singing’ - “. You have promised, You will never fail me, I will wait on You, I will wait on You, You have promised you will never fail, me, Your faithfulness is for ever sure” Learn from some of the mistakes of our ancestors in the bible, and if you sometimes see their life’s stories reflecting in your mirror, take the chance if you can, to avoid the permitted stories of life, and go for Gods preferred plans for you. Be patient at the ‘roundabout’, and wait for the right exit. It will save you from a whole lot of trouble you never anticipated. A lot of peace you need -not unrest, not discord.