I have been reading a book this summer titled "God is Closer than you Think" by John Ortberg. It's a good book so far (I'm only on page 49). As I was reading the other day something struck me that I thought I would like to share with you. This is what it said:
"Perhaps in God's hiddenness God is up to something. George MacDonald wrote a book about a pastor named Thomas Wingfold, who is troubled by doubt and is inability to know God is present. He decides to make his life an experiment in seeking simply to follow Jesus in spite of his doubts. At one point he is caring for a dying man who has come to faith through his infuence. "I wish I could come back after I die, " the man tells Wingfold, "so you could be delivered from doubts and know for sure about the faith."
Then Wingfold says the words that have stayed with me ever since. "No- even if you could, I wouldn't want you to. I would not see him one moment before he thought best. I'd rather have the good of the not knowing".
That little story intrigued me a little. I have been praying constantly for the right man to come along and sweep me off my feet. I admit that there are even times when I wish I could jump forward into the future to see the man that God has picked out for me and to see the path my life will go down. It hasn't really occured to me prior to reading this book that there might be a reason for the uncertainty and a good of not knowing. If I am too eager to jump ahead, who knows what I might miss out on in the process - the other God moments that I may miss out on because I am so focused on this one thing sometimes. I have been encouraged to enjoy the present moment - the ordinary if you will. God doesn't always speak with a megaphone (actually I have yet to experience that) so rather than focusing and constantly praying about the right guy to come into my life, rather I am praying that my eyes might be opened to the work of God in my life through the small things because chances are I am more likely to find God when he whispers rather than when he yells.
1 comment:
You're a wise woman, Kara. Too many of us are so future fucused that we miss the grace of present moments. Hang on to this, my friend!
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