Our Response
How do I Respond When Things Don’t Go My Way?
God has been using this blog to refine me. Jehovah M’Kaddesh, the One who sanctifies. Through the words that He sends through my pen, He leads me to a place of reflection. As I seek to encourage & disciple others, God has been encouraging & discipling me. He has been purifying me. He has been leading me to ask myself: Am I disqualifying myself by not practicing what I preach? Not a question of condemnation but of sanctification. As I pour into others, am I allowing the Lord to wash me in the water of His Word that my life & teaching may align according to His will? Authenticity. I am a sinner saved by grace & I thank God for His presence that never leaves not forsakes me despite my shortcomings.
This year, God is teaching me the art of surrender & it has been a beautiful journey. It is definitely an art. I set down my brushes, release the paint of my own choosing, & immerse myself in the studio that God has chosen for me. God in His goodness gives me a sturdier brush and rich oil paint. These things are better yet unfamiliar. I’m not used to them. They are good gifts, but they are not the ones I am accustomed to. They weren’t apart of my original plan, though they’re of finer quality. As time unfolds, I realize that I am in a gallery, a museum of sorts. God has already painted the canvas of my life. He made me a masterpiece. He equipped me with a new brush and new paint not to paint a life for myself from scratch, but as evidence of the new thing He is doing in me. He invites me to participate in His grand story, to learn His ways, to follow the brush strokes of the Master Painter.
When things don’t go “my way,” I often desire the old crusty paintbrush, the cheap canvas, the dry paint - aka my old vices, my old ways, my old sin cycles. Using food, media, & other lesser things to an excessive extent to drown out the discomfort of whatever storm I’m facing, rather than using the good brush & rich paint that God offers me - aka His Word, prayer, worship music, & life-giving conversations with others.
My response to difficulties & mishaps says a lot about my humanity. My response humbles me & makes me grateful for God’s continued work in my life. My response also says a lot about my understanding of God. God gives good gifts but He doesn’t owe me anything. God is worthy of praise even when I don’t get the job or the spouse. God loves me in my frailty and in my success. God uses sinners saved by His grace. What you did last night, last year, or in the last hour is not what qualifies or disqualifies you. Jesus Christ qualifies you through His redemptive death on the cross.
As you & I grapple with difficulties in life, I want us to consider our response. Are we close to God & obedient to Him when things are going well but distant & disobedient when it feels like things are going poorly? I personally really struggle in this area but I’ve seen so much growth in myself as I’ve submitted to God’s authority. As I get into the Word & live by faith even when I wake up discouraged or sad or disappointed, God changes my heart & strengthens me to walk in accordance with His will. Another question: Do we run back to certain sins for comfort rather than to our Bible? I struggled in this very area today! Do we suddenly lose the resolve to seek holiness & self-control when we don’t get that thing we expect or want? Again, I’m preaching to myself as much as I’m speaking to you!
Who is God to you when you don’t get what you want? I stumbled across this song a couple weeks ago & it really helped me reflect on this area of my life. It reminded me that God is worthy of obedience, praise, & worship because of who He is, not because of the gifts He gives me. Praise the Creator not the creation. In the midst of our bad day, bad week, or bad month, remember that we serve a good God who works everything together according to His good purpose.
I hope this reflection encourages you the way it did me. Love, Elise xx