Faith: A Big Temper Tantrum!

Is there something in your life that you are upset about because you are not getting your way? That is how I have been feeling a lot lately. When I was younger, I had all these dreams and plans of what my life would be like someday. Well, now those days are here and I have not yet achieved many of the goals I had set. Not for lack of trying though. Many of them just haven’t worked out. I am learning that “God’s ways are not my own”. His plan is not the same as mine and I have been grieving my losses. I think it is okay to grieve when something doesn’t go the way you had hoped. But at some point you have to accept it and move on. Today, God showed me some powerful Scripture that helped me take a step farther in giving up my dreams for what God wants. They are found in Psalm 37. Verse 4 and 5 say, “Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you.” If God was all you had in life and nothing else ever happened that you planned on, would you be okay with that? I think this verse is telling us that unless God is all you need, then you still have some dreams to give up. Verse 7 and 8 says, “Wait and trust the Lord. Don’t be upset when others get rich or when someone else’s plans succeed. Don’t get angry. Don’t be upset; it only leads to trouble.” When we don’t get exactly what we want when we want it, we need to have patience and trust God enough to know that his timing is perfect. Don’t compare yourself to others. And don’t get angry with God for not giving you what you want. Just like a toddler, if we throw tantrums when we don’t get our way, we are never going to get what we want and we aren’t going to learn as much. Verse 16 says, ”It is better to have little and be right than to have much and be wrong.” Maybe if you got what you wanted, you would turn away from God or depend on other things instead of Him. Verses 23 and 24 say, “When a person’s steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with his ways. If he stumbles, he will not fall, because the Lord holds his hand.” This gives me great comfort. God is with you whether you are getting what you want out of life or not. He will never leave you or make you suffer so much that you fall. Follow God and His will for your life and He will be with you every step that you take holding your hand. You are never alone! Verse 34 says, “Wait for the Lord’s help and follow him. He will honor you and give you the land, and you will see the wicked sent away.” He may not give you what you want, but if you wait for what He wants to happen instead of taking the matter into your own hands, then He will honor you and bless you in ways you could not imagine. Verse39 says, “The Lord saves good people; he is their strength in times of trouble.” When we are weak, then He is strong. I have a prayer journal where I write down my prayers and then record how they have been answered. As I looked through them today, I realized that even though I may not be getting the main thing that I want (another baby), I am getting several answered prayers. My prayers may even be getting answered by me not getting what I want. Either way, I realized that whatever reason God has for not giving me what I want, it is for the best. I may never know why, but I see now how all the other areas of my life are being strengthened through not getting my way. My marriage is getting better. I appreciate what I do have much more than before, especially my precious child. That’s how much God loves us. Just like a mother who won’t let her child play with matches. She doesn’t want him to get burnt. God doesn’t want us to get burnt either. If we do get burnt, it is usually because we didn’t listen to that sweet voice guiding us through the journey of life. Is there a dream or two that you are struggling to let go of? Give them up today and trust that God’s plan is even better than those dreams. If you give them up, it won’t seem so bad when they don’t happen.