It’s not just Christian Kool-aid; it’s the word and promise of God.
- Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
The problem with getting our own way is getting our own way.
Get it?
Getting our own way, considering who is doing the deciding – and, yes, I’m talking about you (and me) – is not the great idea that it may initially seem to be. It’s his purpose God is working toward, not mine. And that is a good thing. A very good thing.
Let’s think about this for a minute, turning around what we consider to be a very negative obstacle – not getting our own way, whether on the job, school, with our family or friends – into a refreshing bit of perspective.
Let me share some helpers:
1) No rose-tinted glasses allowed.
Learn to appreciate the times when things do not go your way. When things go sideways and we are hurt and discouraged or just plain angry, then these are times when we trust God and it means something. Pretending that we are okay when we are not only means that we are getting better at pretending and worse at looking for truth.
If we always run from the sadness and pain, we will never see Jesus waiting to carry us along.
2) No drinking the cliche Kool-aid.
When you do not get your way, face your frustration or sadness or anger honestly. We cannot drink in truth if our actions are driven by dishonesty. Even if we are quoting Bible verses along the way. We are not hiding these words of God in our heart at these times; we are merely installing a ring of defense with our denial. Hiding in our denial, we distance ourselves from Christ with this protective, human-made layer around our heart. We haven’t dealt with reality; we have run from it.
3) Pretend you are in control.
Scary thought indeed. What would happen if you were doing all the deciding? I’m serious. Do any of us think that we really know how all of this should work out? We all have good ideas. (At least most of us do.) But we don’t have them all. What would your world look like if you really always “got your own way.”
4) Expect to draw closer to God in the middle of your struggle.
Remember to bow before God. Now that we have stepped away from the Kool-aid pitcher and are looking at the reality of life, both wonderful and horrible, know that we only see clearly in moments of great pain from God’s throne room. When I allow God to speak to me in my frustration and/or anger and/or sadness, I worship. And from a position of being bowed low before God I trust him as I never have. I, in fact, do trust him with my life.
- Psalm 73:16–17 (GW)
But when I tried to understand this, it was too difficult for me. 17 Only when I came into God’s holy place did I finally understand what would happen to them.
5) Know that no one ever really gets their own way, not always.
There is always some person, or group of people, to “throw a stick in our spokes.” Look at some of the relatively recent upheavals in countries with strong-armed leadership. Moammar Gaddafi comes to mind. It seemed he got his own way in everything but his last moments on this Earth were spent begging for his life.
* My greatest blessing in not getting my own way.
The greatest blessing that God has given me as I trust him when things do not go my way is a powerful, sincere satisfaction that he is in control and I am not, and it fills me with his peace that extends beyond my life circumstances and this world. I embrace his purpose for my life and this world.
- Romans 11:33–36
God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways. 34 “Who knows how the Lord thinks? Who can become his adviser?” 35 Who gave the Lord something which the Lord must pay back? 36 Everything is from him and by him and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen!
What we cannot do per this text:
- Explain God’s decisions or understand his ways.
- Know how the Lord thinks.
- Become God’s adviser.
- Make God indebted to us.
What we can and should do:
- Acknowledge that it is all God – from him, by him and for him.
- Give him glory.
- Bow low before his throne with “Amen.”
My life has been one of great joy and great anguish, at times it seems both amazing and tragic. I have gone through periods where I could barely stand to have the phone ring. What sadness or hurt is waiting on the other end?
But I have amazing joy and complete trust in God and his sovereign ways in the affairs of people in general and my life specifically. I trust him with my life and the planet.
God doesn’t promise to answer why these things happen, but he will answer who – Jesus Christ. A God who is there; a God who cares; a God who is King and Savior. He answers the enigma of life with the person and presence of Christ.
And all I can say is: Amen!
