I had a dear friend over recently and we shared our hearts and each of us had been totally blessed and encouraged by each others testimony of what the Lord was doing in our lives. Listening to my dear friend share I was brought back to the need and importance of being connected to the body. For whatever reason God has been laying that so strongly on my heart lately. I came across this paragraph in "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I wanted to share:
In the Christian Community thankfulness is just what it is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament and pious. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.
This seemed to have struck me straight in my heart when I read this passage. I have caught myself forgetting to give thanks for the small things within the body of Christ and really trying to grasp hold of the big things that God may or may not have in store for me. So, if things are not going according to my standards, desires are not being met, plans are being interrupted, should I then not give thanks even when there is plenty of redirecting and shifting being done in my life that I assume shouldn't be there? Of course not! But oh how easy to do!
When I don't give thanks my heart begins to be filled with my wants and needs rather than laying my heart before the Lord, giving thanks and desiring His perfect will to be done in my life. I completely allow myself to hinder what God wants to do through me to help edify and grow with the body of Christ. I forget the BIG PICTURE! I forget that God is in control and that my steps are ordered by Him.
In saying all of this, when things may not go my way and my real motives are up front and open, it is then when I should be reaching out and asking for prayer and wisdom. I am NOT GOD! Oh how I tend to miss the mark on that one! My pride tends to get in the way and I began to work on my own strength, forgetting that's why we are connected to the body.
The simple truth: Is that we are in need of one another!
Having my friend over was so refreshing and wishing I would have done that a lot sooner than later. If so, maybe I could have taken those emotions and handled all that might have been going on a lot differently. I believe I would have responded better in so many ways if I'd have sought to be thankful rather than a complainer to God. Thankfully we are connected to a loving, gracious and understanding Father who knows our weaknesses.
Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.
Just because things may not be going according to Rose's Plans...no need to fret because it is God in whom my heart belongs to....my life is in His hands and I shall walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.
In Him
Rose
