Monday, March 29, 2010

Monday~ Weekend Tales and My Problem with Prayer

The weekend came and went with very little event for me and Halle. She was feeling poorly for most of the day Saturday and Sunday, so we stayed in and worked puzzles. Lots of puzzles. Or rather, only eight puzzles but we did them a zillion times. Thanks for your well wishes, though, and she is finally feeling better today. We are pretty sure that entitles us to a trip to the park after nap time to breath in some fresh air... we earned it, right?

Our friend, Brett Clark, came to visit this weekend and share with our church family about their family's upcoming adventure into full time missions in Thailand. I have talked about the Clarks before, I think, and you can read more about the awesome things God is doing in their lives at the Journey with the Clarks blog. If you want to see an amazing story of people who have given up everything to follow God's calling on their lives, you have to read more about them!

I have also been on a sewing binge, and I hope to have some pictures for you soon. I had a big 'step out of the boat' moment last week when I decided that it would be a good move for my business to take out an ad on a popular blog for the month of April. I am terribly nervous and excited about this all at the same time because I've never done anything quite like this, but it all fell into place and I feel like God's hand was totally in it. All sorts of spring goodies are coming off my lovely little sewing machine~ I'll share more about that as it approaches...

For some reason this weekend I've been stuck thinking about a concept from a book I read some time ago called "Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers". In short, the principal is this: In our American 'gotta hurry' culture, it has become exceedingly easy to quickly say 'I'll pray about it' when confronted with a need. We are willing to pray (or at least say we will...). I am guilty of this too often myself. But what the book begs us to consider is that what if, in our quickness to say we'll pray about something we are overlooking the chance to actually BE the answer? Now, hear me: I am by no means minimizing prayer~ it is invaluable! But what I am discovering is that through a life of constant prayer and time with God we are generally more connected with the Holy Spirit and therefore in tune with his leadings.

The example the book gave was something like this: Say your neighbor suddenly becomes wheelchair bound. He comes to you saying 'I could really use a ramp to access my house.' You tell him you will pray about a solution. You are a carpenter and have wood, tools, experience. Why don't you simply become the answer? In my own life I am having ups & downs with this. But I am finding that the more I consistently & constantly (KEY!) am immersed in God's word and prayer I am more available to His leadings as the opportunities appear. Less and less in those situations do I need to remove myself and pray, but rather I am equipped to make a Spirit-led decision in that moment. Cool, right?!

My challenge (to myself and you) is this: I am trying (here's the rub and the goal...) to live so in intimate connection with God that in those situations I will be able to discern whether He says 'Pray.', 'Go.', 'Do.' etc. I am trying to get out of the habit of saying 'I'll pray about it.' and be someone who actually does it if the situation warrants. Sometimes prayer is the right and only thing! (And always appropriate, I think~ don't hear me as saying not to pray!!!) But I want to be available to actually become the answer to someone's need precisely at the moment of His leading.

Okay, so that's my Aha! moment of today, I guess. I would love to hear your thoughts on living a Spirit-led life. For now my sewing machine and coffee pot are calling, and I'm sure at this point I've said too much anyway~ Happy Monday!

4 comments:

  1. I got what you're saying. Gonna try hard to live it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i love your aha moment. it's so true! i think God is all about us being the hands and feet of Jesus!!! i definitely need to remember this every single day. can't wait to see your new goodies. i need to go visit your shop!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, y'all! And, Carissa, I'd love to make something for your son or that new baby girl you're brewing! Just let me know!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mandy, what a beautiful aha moment!!
    It is such a true reflection...sometimes we don't want to be the answer and its a lot easier to send prayers than offer to be the hands and feet of Christ. Thanks for getting me thinking on this! Holy Week is the perfect time to reflect on these things!
    <3

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear what you have to say~ Thanks for leaving your mark!