Reason #943
We know what we want. That's never the question. We have expectations, and we expect them to be met. We want to lose weight, make friends, get a good job, grow in our faith, become more disciplined, be a better student, stop doing the things that aren't good for us, and start doing things that will make our lives better. But do we really, really want those things? Are we willing to put in the effort and give of ourselves to make it happen, or do we simply want them handed to us?
I want to play the piano. The truth is, I kind of know how to. I took lessons for years, and I still remember how to read music. But playing the piano didn't come naturally to me like I wanted it to. It was a struggle. I could tell you what the notes on the page were, but getting my hands, brain, and eyes to match up wasn't easy. I wanted to sit down and play it by ear. In fact, I even prayed that the Lord would just give me the ability to become Beethoven because I didn't want to try. I didn't want to practice. It was difficult and frustrating and time consuming. It not that I didn't want to play, it's that I didn't want to make it happen.
I remember feeling left out in high school. I wasn't in the popular crowd and didn't really fit in to one particular group or another. I had a couple of good friends, but I wanted to be included. I wanted to be invited to go do things with my classmates. I wanted to have my own group of friends to hang out with, and I remember my mom encouraging me to call people and ask them over. I'd always refuse, mostly because I feared rejection. It's hard to be the initiator, especially when you tend to be introverted. It's easy to sit back and be pursued. It takes effort to put yourself out there, and I didn't want to do that. I just wanted people to come to me. I wanted them to be the ones who did the work. It's not that I didn't want friends, I just didn't want to make it happen.
Sometimes you have to make things happen for yourself. If you want a date, make yourself available. Talk to the guy sitting next to you. Smile at him, laugh at his jokes even if they aren't that funny, and drop a hint or two. You don't have to throw yourself at him or ask him out, but you have to put forth some effort if you want something to happen. And if you want to lose weight, do it. Don't eat that midnight snack and clear your office of all things chocolate. Only you can decide this. Wanting your weight to fall off and making it fall off are two completely different things. Take a walk, give up some sugar, and make it happen. Maybe you want a new job. Maybe you're not happy where you are. Stop sitting there waiting for the right job to come to you. Start networking, put your resume out there, and if what you've been doing hasn't worked for you, then do something else. The likelihood of your dream job falling directly into your lap isn't going to happen without some effort. Get experience, know your field, and then work towards making it happen.
But maybe you're thinking, "You don't understand." Oh, I do understand. I have yet to name one thing on my lists of "make it happens" that I have not, or currently do not, struggle with. It's not luck that people get to where they are in life. It may seem that way, but luck isn't part of it. Effort is all of it. The problem is that we only want to put forth so much effort. We only want to give a small portion of our time and energy and when we're feeling challenged or discouraged, we stop. We say, "It'll never happen. Things will never change. It's just not meant to be for me." Well, if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way. And if you ask me, the first way, the best way, is to seek the Lord in all your ways.
Pray about it but don't sit idle. The Lord wants to work WITH you. He will be your guide, but you're going to have to put forth some effort. How would your faith ever grow if God just dropped every little thing you wanted right into your lap? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. We have to give in order to get. We have to try, and we have to be resilient. Persistency pays off, and the Lord is faithful to give us the endurance and courage we need to get there. But we can't give up. We can't sit back and do nothing. We can't believe that everyone else should do everything for us and that we're free or exempt of any responsibility on our part. Do your part. God will meet you there, and He will be glad to help you.
#943 - Because God is faithful to work with us.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me." - Matthew 12:30
I want to play the piano. The truth is, I kind of know how to. I took lessons for years, and I still remember how to read music. But playing the piano didn't come naturally to me like I wanted it to. It was a struggle. I could tell you what the notes on the page were, but getting my hands, brain, and eyes to match up wasn't easy. I wanted to sit down and play it by ear. In fact, I even prayed that the Lord would just give me the ability to become Beethoven because I didn't want to try. I didn't want to practice. It was difficult and frustrating and time consuming. It not that I didn't want to play, it's that I didn't want to make it happen.
I remember feeling left out in high school. I wasn't in the popular crowd and didn't really fit in to one particular group or another. I had a couple of good friends, but I wanted to be included. I wanted to be invited to go do things with my classmates. I wanted to have my own group of friends to hang out with, and I remember my mom encouraging me to call people and ask them over. I'd always refuse, mostly because I feared rejection. It's hard to be the initiator, especially when you tend to be introverted. It's easy to sit back and be pursued. It takes effort to put yourself out there, and I didn't want to do that. I just wanted people to come to me. I wanted them to be the ones who did the work. It's not that I didn't want friends, I just didn't want to make it happen.
Sometimes you have to make things happen for yourself. If you want a date, make yourself available. Talk to the guy sitting next to you. Smile at him, laugh at his jokes even if they aren't that funny, and drop a hint or two. You don't have to throw yourself at him or ask him out, but you have to put forth some effort if you want something to happen. And if you want to lose weight, do it. Don't eat that midnight snack and clear your office of all things chocolate. Only you can decide this. Wanting your weight to fall off and making it fall off are two completely different things. Take a walk, give up some sugar, and make it happen. Maybe you want a new job. Maybe you're not happy where you are. Stop sitting there waiting for the right job to come to you. Start networking, put your resume out there, and if what you've been doing hasn't worked for you, then do something else. The likelihood of your dream job falling directly into your lap isn't going to happen without some effort. Get experience, know your field, and then work towards making it happen.
But maybe you're thinking, "You don't understand." Oh, I do understand. I have yet to name one thing on my lists of "make it happens" that I have not, or currently do not, struggle with. It's not luck that people get to where they are in life. It may seem that way, but luck isn't part of it. Effort is all of it. The problem is that we only want to put forth so much effort. We only want to give a small portion of our time and energy and when we're feeling challenged or discouraged, we stop. We say, "It'll never happen. Things will never change. It's just not meant to be for me." Well, if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way. And if you ask me, the first way, the best way, is to seek the Lord in all your ways.
Pray about it but don't sit idle. The Lord wants to work WITH you. He will be your guide, but you're going to have to put forth some effort. How would your faith ever grow if God just dropped every little thing you wanted right into your lap? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. We have to give in order to get. We have to try, and we have to be resilient. Persistency pays off, and the Lord is faithful to give us the endurance and courage we need to get there. But we can't give up. We can't sit back and do nothing. We can't believe that everyone else should do everything for us and that we're free or exempt of any responsibility on our part. Do your part. God will meet you there, and He will be glad to help you.
#943 - Because God is faithful to work with us.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me." - Matthew 12:30
Comments
Post a Comment