AVOIDING FRUSTRATION

In my last blog post, I shared with you some of God’s vocabulary words.

 “Whatever you turn over to me — I will take care of you.”

There are days when life becomes too big for us. It’s a day when life demands more than we have. We need answers for our questions, strength when we feel weak, and patience when we are ready to lose it.

These are the times when we just need help. Thankfully, we know where to turn for some inspiration. Here’s what our heavenly Father has to say:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.

I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11: 28-30 (MSG)

Doesn’t that sound heavenly — living each day “freely and lightly?” God says that if we will “keep company” with Him, it is possible to flow with Him and as a result of this partnership, we enjoy His successful solutions and direction.

Bob Beaudine wrote a book entitled, 2 Chairs.  Mr. Beaudine is the president and CEO of Eastman and Beaudine and recognized as the top sports/entertainment search executive in the U.S. In his book, he shares the key to being successful. This vital key was given to him by his mother.

Allow me to quote, “….the greatest advice in life or business ever passed on to me was actually given to me by my mom, the late Martha Beaudine, back in 1976. She told me the secret that was passed onto her, a secret I didn’t even know was a possibility…She declared, ‘There is nothing that you could do or think of in life, Bob, that would be more important than setting up your two chairs right now and doing it every day of your life’….The secret that Mom was talking about is this: God wants to spend time with each of us every morning, before we begin our day. He wants to talk to us, to be friends. He already knows everything about us, and He wants us to know everything about Him.”

I agree with Bob (and his mother), that a beginning-of-the-day meeting is truly the key to success. I don’t actually set up two chairs (Sorry, Bob!), but I do begin my day with the Lord. As I talk with God, I commit my plans to Him and ask for His thoughts. Out of one of these times, this simple, rhyming prayer came into my mind:

“Father, I commit this day to You.

Cause me to think the way You think —

so I know what to do.”

When we turn our plans over to God, He sets our thoughts in order so we have knowledge of what to do — and sometimes what not to do. He’s already aware of what is on our minds, but because He is all about relationships, He waits for us to come to Him. I am sure that He loves nothing more than helping us to make successful choices so that we can avoid delays, disappointments, and disillusionment.

God knows our day better than we do and He is way ahead of us. If we commit our plans to Him, He will give us “on the spot” directions for all the twists and turns. So no matter what happens, we can all end up at what I am going to call our end-of-the-day “sweet spot.” It’s the place where we joyfully say—

“God, thank You! You are so amazing!”