Life Interruptions

For the past couple months I have attended a bible study called Jonah - Navigating a Life Interrupted, by Priscilla Shirer, whom I love!! When we think of Jonah, we immediately think of him being swallowed by a huge fish and spending 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of that fish. He repents and obeys God. But, there is so much more to this story and how it applies to us in our everyday lives. Jonah did not want to go to the city of Nineveh, a people whom he greatly disliked, and did not want God's mercy to befall on. So, he tried to run......but you can't run from God! I have tried it, have you? This study has helped bring up areas in my life that I am failing miserably in, I know what my weakness are, yet I tend to justify them often. I like to put the blame on something else or find a reason for my shortcomings and why I don't do the right thing in God's eyes. I love God and want to serve Him, but too many times, I want to do it my way and on my terms. Wrong answer, Kandi! I know what and who are the Ninevehs in my life, and it can be an actual place, a person(s), or a task, etc. Just the mention of this Nineveh can send us into an emotional tailspin and we would rather not go, just stay home. And just like Jonah, we can find reasons to keep us home. Sometimes it doesn't make sense what the Lord may be asking me to do, but I don't see the big picture and may never know this side of eternity. But, if I cannot do the "little" things, how can I expect to grow in my walk with Jesus and that He will use me for more ministry opportunities. I have to move away from anger, bitterness, resentment, self-righteousness, and move toward, grace, mercy, compassion, and love. I admit, I am very good at those things. My melancholy temperament can easily take a situation or a person and it becomes bitter, resentment, and so on. I have gotten better with this the past few yrs, but still struggle and things always come up, and always will, because Satan knows my weaknesses and how to use them against me. But, Thank You Lord I can call on You! Jeremiah 1:5 tells us "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you." It doesn't take God by surprise how I am and how I react to things or people, this is just further evidence of how much I need Him, He doesn't need me, I need Him!! God is Sovereign, God is my Deliverer, God is merciful, God is Righteous! I am nothing without Him. I cannot overcome my weakness, my sinful nature, my fleshly desires, without His saving grace and mercy. I am learning to obey and to look at a LIFE INTERRUPTED BY A HOLY GOD IS A PRIVILEGE. A lot of times, I am looking for the "big" plans in my life. But, you know what, I am realizing that the small, simple acts of obeying are the big plans in my life. I am called to love others, everyone, even if I don't necessarily like that person, I must love them. How hard is that? Well, for me, sometimes even just smiling or talking to someone whom is my Nineveh, is hard. Just like Jonah, I can come up with every justification in the book not to do it. I simply fail! God has been working on me, and I find the more I try to do better in an area of my life, Satan tries even harder to make me fall. I have to then acknowledge that sin, accept God's discipline, ask for forgiveness, and act on God's directions. Easier said than done, when my pride kicks in. 1 John 1:9 says "If we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins and (continuously) cleanse us from all unrighteousness, The Amplified Bible. God has put Himself in you to equip you and empower you to do what you cannot do. I want to have Divine Intervention, not Life Interrupted. It is based on my perspective and how I respond to God leading me and calling me to obey. Our interruptions are all different - it can be an unexpected pregnancy, a troubled marriage, a financial decision and so on......we would like to avoid them, but they will come. The question is.....how will we respond? I pray we yield to God. I am quick to get upset when things don't go my way or how I imagined something to work out on my time table. I can look back at my past now, and see that God's plan is better and everything worked the way it should have. Did I ever imagine myself as a stay at home mom? No way! But, thankfully I followed God's plan in this area of my life and have been extremely blessed. I need to start asking myself the question God asked Jonah in Jonah 4:4 "Doest thou well to be angry?" So much more can be wrote on this and I could go on, but motherhood calls, as I must go pick up my little man from preschool. 2 Timothy 2:21 "So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful fro the Master, prepared for every good work"