Sunday, October 18, 2009

Chapter 4 (Aunt Sue)

Just finished reading chapter four "Should've Seen That Coming". Quite interesting to read that at age 54:) but one of the clear messages that comes through is ...do the right thing, even when it may not be the easy way. Once again I love the emphasis on choosing a simple Scripture that will give us a focus when difficult decisions come our way. I ask again, does anyone have Scriptures chosen for themselves, their families? Please share in the comments! Uncle Steve and I chose Psalm 40 as "our chapter" when we were first married. This has become more of a prayer to us as the years go on, a guide to praying. But it is amazing how applicable it has been for the path God has us on as we read it each year.

At the end of this chapter, Andy shares a family prayer from Proverbs 27:12
"Lord, help us to see troubles coming long before it gets here. And give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it."
Wow, that is an important prayer! A prayer that would help us to be aware of the wrong path...like the examples Andy uses of those he knows those who have chosen smoking and are now living with lung cancer, or those who have chosen to live above one's financial means and live with the consequences of debt. Yet there are those other times in life when a loved one suffers from cancer for no apparent choice they made, or you are let go by a company not because of your work choices, but their choices. Those difficult things that happen to us not because of a choice that we have made, but it becomes part of the path we are on. Then what? Well, this is also the time for the above prayer...give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it...reminds me of
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference"
I know I could make some seriously bad choices on how to respond to the difficult times that have surprised me on the path, but by the grace of God...He has awesome "principles" about this too! Trust...wait...pray...love...
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1 comment:

Hans Schiefelbein said...

Sue: I often find myself retreating to Deut. 6 and 8 where Moses reminds the people to talk about the commandments of the Lord and impress them upon your children. So that when God brings you blessings you do not deserve, that you will REMEMBER the mighty hand of God.

For me this is central to my daily discipline. I need to constantly stop and remember what God has done and has promised. Because the daily grind can slowly pull me away from intentions and directions. I can easily get pulled away towards good intentions, but they may not be the intentions God has for me. This is the emotional pull of the wrong path that Matt was talking about in his previous post.

So I'm trying to daily remember God and act accordingly. Hopefully this will keep me moving in the right direction.

October 18, 2009 at 5:55 PM

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