Life Not My Own
I'm discovering more and more how selfish I've been in the past. Whether towards those close to me or to the check out person at the grocery store. Why is it that we can't see past our navels sometimes.
Today, I talked with a young lady that was in a hurting condition. She went to a party, got drunk, drove home and smashed her car. She's embarassed, shamed and worse, feeling trapped. As we talked, she revealed that now, without a car, having to go to court and only making $6.50 an hour, she's stuck in this life's circumstance. She wants to pursue God, but can't see how, why or when things will ever change. I told her to make a choice to change and be patient through the process.
That could sound really cliche'. Yet, I have experienced that feeling of "trapped".
When we find ourselves in postions without options, we eliminate the potential for divine intravention. God sees multiple options, endless outcomes and limitless possibilities. Why is it that we refuse to see them?
This conversation I had with this girl was definately not a short one. Nor, I presume, the last. Yet, the timing of it could have given me the opportunity to return to the selfish ways of my past.
Dealing with people can be messy, inconvenient and time consuming. This is something that hasn't changed since the garden. People are finicky, fussy and flawed. Yet, we all need a lttle help sometime.
There was a time that I felt at the end of my rope. It lasted for months. I couldn't see past my current scenario. Every option seemed to be beyond my reach. I was trapped by a past, confined to my definition of reality.
It was during that time that I found people who listened to me repeat the same conversations, trying to process my experience and find a light at the end of the tunnel. Those people I shared with showed my great mercy, patience and encouragement until I finally realized my answers. Ironically, I already knew the answers, but was too cowardly to deal with them. That all changed.
Now, out of a seed that these kind folks planted in me, I'm able to reach out to others... For that, I'm eternally grateful. This life is not my own.
Today, I talked with a young lady that was in a hurting condition. She went to a party, got drunk, drove home and smashed her car. She's embarassed, shamed and worse, feeling trapped. As we talked, she revealed that now, without a car, having to go to court and only making $6.50 an hour, she's stuck in this life's circumstance. She wants to pursue God, but can't see how, why or when things will ever change. I told her to make a choice to change and be patient through the process.
That could sound really cliche'. Yet, I have experienced that feeling of "trapped".
When we find ourselves in postions without options, we eliminate the potential for divine intravention. God sees multiple options, endless outcomes and limitless possibilities. Why is it that we refuse to see them?
This conversation I had with this girl was definately not a short one. Nor, I presume, the last. Yet, the timing of it could have given me the opportunity to return to the selfish ways of my past.
Dealing with people can be messy, inconvenient and time consuming. This is something that hasn't changed since the garden. People are finicky, fussy and flawed. Yet, we all need a lttle help sometime.
There was a time that I felt at the end of my rope. It lasted for months. I couldn't see past my current scenario. Every option seemed to be beyond my reach. I was trapped by a past, confined to my definition of reality.
It was during that time that I found people who listened to me repeat the same conversations, trying to process my experience and find a light at the end of the tunnel. Those people I shared with showed my great mercy, patience and encouragement until I finally realized my answers. Ironically, I already knew the answers, but was too cowardly to deal with them. That all changed.
Now, out of a seed that these kind folks planted in me, I'm able to reach out to others... For that, I'm eternally grateful. This life is not my own.
