Deferring to God’s Will Be Done -- Not Mine

All nestled in at my home won't stop several of my beloved friends to come over to meet together tonight. We will come together as sisters in Christ and I'm quite assured of the fact -- "Where two or three are gathered together in His name -- He is in the midst of us!" (Matthew 18:20). So, no fear here!

Prior to the CVID19 "change of life", I was experiencing my own life change. I was thinking that God had me in His sovereign test tube. Usually in a sweet flow of His mercy and grace, my "apple-cart" got upset. I found yielding to His will -- not mine be done -- is the best choice. I had two opportunities to BE Jesus. One, with a restaurant manager which didn't fare too well and an "encounter" with a store manager that was much better.

I was picking up my new cell phone that had been on order (the unlocked version took several days to come in). The sales rep assured me that if I would go ahead and pay for it, I could trade in my old phone for $125 when it arrives. But, oh contraire! This day, he said the offer ended and couldn’t give it to me. I asked for a manager who confirmed it. I could feel the rant starting to surface when I recalled that restaurant experience and decided $125 wasn’t worth my "little light" dimming. Actually, it became a holy moment as I started thinking: “I’ll bless someone with this perfectly good, old phone!” Take that, Satan!

Back to the title of this blog today: “Deferring to God’s will be done – not my will be done!” Another scenario. Another eyes-opening experience. I recognized how our emotions can be snafued by the enemy of our souls. As a Christ-follower, it's His will, not my feelings. It's about not having to be right because God will make it right.

I’ve come up with some solutions to conquering my emotions. When I'm upset or frustrated — I need to quickly get a grip and ask myself "Do I really need it to be my way? Or, do I defer to God having His way? After all, He is the rectifier. Looking and acting like Him in every situation is a win for Him AND me.

Are these negative feelings helping or hurting me? Are these feelings making my light grow brighter or dimmer? A lot of our feelings seem natural, but they’re actually self-defeating. Oh, I get it – from my restaurant and Best Buy experience. I was feeling like I was being taken advantage of in both situations. But were my emotions helping or hurting my representation as a follower of Christ? Does nagging work? Has it ever worked? When somebody mistreats or offends us, does it make us want to change? No! All it does is make us defensive.

Managing my emotions is a "big-girl" discipline and an "atta-girl" stamp of approval from my Heavenly Father. I think the Apostle Peter called it just right: "From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires.” (1 Peter 4:2). And if the perfect One, Jesus, deferred to God's will, so must I. "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42

God Would Never Unfriend Us

Back in the day, when we unfriended someone, we walked away, erased their name off our notebook or wrote a “Dear John” letter. Here we are – decades later and we can unfriend someone with the tap of a button. I don’t “unfriend” but rather “unfollow”, usually because of their language, their rants, their lack of self-control. I still want them to follow me – hopefully, so they’ll catch some Llight if they pass by my blog.

Our lives are about relationships -- with Jesus and with people He’s created. Period. What concerns me most, is that people fail, disappoint, act up and act out, they let it rip – their language, I mean, without a thought or concern. I really do want to unfriend them because my little Pollyanna world needs to stay all peaches and cream. Right?

Good thing I’m not a god who carries a big stick. I’d be whack-a-moleying those ornery folks all over the place. I’m done with their lack of love, lack of decorum and lack of common sense. If some of them were my friends, I would unfriend them without a second thought. Go ahead, God! Let ‘em have it!

Then comes along the full-volume, yet gentle voice of God, with His personal guarantee, "I will NEVER unfriend them." Argh! But, please, God! Then God’s gentle tap on my shoulder reels me back into what His grace is all about. Our God would die before He would unfriend anyone. Fact is: our God did die rather than unfriend us. “Greater love has no one than this: than to lay down one’s life for His friends." (John 15:13)

Jesus didn’t leave, unlike, or unfriend a single one of his twelve closest friends. Not even when they deserved it. He’s not about to start with you and me. Instead, He kept on keeping the promise He first made that He would never leave or forsake His people. This is the God who moved into our neighborhood to be our friend. To know all about us and still love us. This is the God who has pursued you and me since before time and who never ever considers us a waste of time. This is a God who died on a cross to reach our hearts and souls to rescue us. We are loved – in spite of, because of, and instead of, but – do we believe it? Do we believe ours is His Love Story and in His Love Story – the Lover never leaves us.

My precious and beloved friends – let Him love you and wrap you in His grace and mercy. Just say “yes” – ACCEPT His “friend” request. He will take away all your sin, failings, fear and give you His own life – life to the full. "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) You are loved!