Good morning…
When we met for our class Christmas lunch and our final discussion of Choose Joy by Kay Warren, one friend read aloud a thought-provoking poem.
*****
I Asked God by Claudia Minden Weisz
I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, “No.”
He said it was not for Him to take it away,
But for me to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
And God said, “No.”
He said her spirit already is,
While her body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, “No.”
He said patience is a by-product of tribulation;
It isn’t granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said, “No.”
He said “I give blessings;
Happiness is up to you.”
I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, “No.”
He said, “Suffering draws you apart from
Worldly cares and brings you closer to Me.”
I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said, “No.”
He said I must grow on my own,
But He will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God if He loved me,
And God said, “Yes.”
He gave me His only Son, who died for me.
And I will be in heaven someday.
I asked God to help me love others
As much as He loves me,
And God said,
“Ah, finally, you have the idea.”
******
Now as I read the words privately in the darkness of this night, I think back on my own life, remembering times when God said, “No.”
- When I so desperately wanted to have a baby, and month after month for four full years, God said, “No.” I learned that God’s timing is not my timing.
- When I wanted to stay living in Pennsylvania, nestled in the small town life of my dreams, God said, “No.” I learned that I can access my power to create home wherever I am.
- When I yearned to be rescued from the hollow heaviness of debilitating depression, God said, “No.” I learned that I had to walk through all of my gut-wrenching emotions with God to grow up into my own unique skin.
My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord (Isaiah 55:8 CEB). What a great blessing this truth becomes. I realize now that I would not be the “me” I am today without God repeatedly telling me, “No.” Forgoing my short-sighted desires, God opted instead to set ablaze His higher ways in my ordinary life.
Think with me now. When and how have you been uniquely shaped by God saying “No”?
…Sue…
