I’m on Twitter. I love Twitter. I can send out little soundbites about my day, complain about aches and pains or the weather, or make little jokes, and get instant feedback. It’s fun!
And I have a lot of followers, and I follow quite a few. Yesterday this Tweet came across the board from a certified Life Coach. She said:
I thought this was interesting. I’m speaking at a retreat as you read this (I actually wrote this post and scheduled it to appear today), and I’m speaking exactly AGAINST all of those things.Start by blessing yourself. “May I be safe, may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I live with ease.”
Too often our primary prayers are for our own health, safety, happiness and well-being. And yet that was never what Jesus prayed for his followers, and it wasn’t what Paul prayed for his spiritual children.
Sometimes it is only through adversity that we really grow. It’s like in Finding Nemo. Remember that scene, near the end of the movie, when dad Marlin is distraught because it looks like he will never be able to rescue Nemo? And Dorrie tries to cheer him up, which makes Marlin even more irritated.I think there’s a lot of spiritual wisdom in that fish. The point is not what happens to us in life; it’s how we respond, and whether we allow God to turn it into good. And that’s the attitude that Paul takes. He prays that God will help the Ephesians to understand how long and high and wide and deep is the love of Christ. He prays that they may grow in wisdom and understanding. In Colossians he prays that they may bear fruit in every good work, and they may know the knowledge and wisdom and will of God.“Don’t you understand?!?” he cries. “I promised him that nothing would ever happen to him!”. “Well, that’s a funny thing to promise,” replies Dorrie. “Because if nothing ever happened to him, then nothing would ever happen to him.”
Aren’t those things more important? You see, if we understand how much God loves us; if we grow in understanding; if we bear fruit; if we grow in unity and love; then no matter what happens to us, we’ll be fine. But if we concentrate our prayers on good things happening, then we not only lose out on opportunities to grow; we also leave ourselves unprepared with bad things do happen.
And the same goes with prayers for our children. Are you consumed for praying for their safety? Are you constantly praying that God will give them good lives? Why not pray, instead, that they may grow in wisdom and understanding? Because if they do that, and if they understand how much God loves them, they’ll be fine. They’ll soar. They’ll fly. No matter the circumstances.
When we worry about circumstances, we become slaves to this life. When we concentrate on God, we actually become free. So stop praying for your own safety and happiness and well-being, and pray for your heart. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with asking God for safety at times, but if this is the predominant prayer, you have a problem. Your soul is worth so much more; ask God to nourish it this weekend!
ABOUT
Sheila Wray Gregoire loves family. She loves her family, including her three children (one in heaven) and her husband; and she loves that God made families as the primary vehicle to show His love. Probably part of this love stems from the fact that growing up, family wasn’t healthy. Her dad left when she was two, and Sheila saw the damage that divorce does, even though her mom was amazing (and still is, as they take missions trips together!) So her passion in this life is to help strengthen families–to equip women to be the best wives and mothers they can be, and especially to cultivate marriages that are rock solid.Sheila has written four books for women, including To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother, and she has another coming out with Zondervan soon. She also writes a weekly parenting column, and speaks at women’s events and marriage conferences around North America. Usually, though, you can find her at home, where she homeschools her two daughters. And knits. Preferably simultaneously!
Sheila blogs daily at http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com (To Love, Honor and Vacuum), and you can find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/sheilagregoire) and on Facebook (http://facebook.com/sheila.gregoire.books).
Also…
Interests
Knitting
Camping
Traveling to Africa!
Favorite Movies
Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version)
Band of Brothers (to show that I'm a little strange)
Bed of Roses
Lord of the Rings
Sense and Sensibility
Favorite Music
Third Day
Mercy Me
Martina McBride
Terri Clark
Sugarland
Favorite Books
Anything by Jane Austen (especially P&P)
Francine Rivers' The Mark of the Lion series
the Thoene's series on World War II and Jerusalem
ABOUT
Sheila Wray Gregoire loves family. She loves her family, including her three children (one in heaven) and her husband; and she loves that God made families as the primary vehicle to show His love. Probably part of this love stems from the fact that growing up, family wasn’t healthy. Her dad left when she was two, and Sheila saw the damage that divorce does, even though her mom was amazing (and still is, as they take missions trips together!) So her passion in this life is to help strengthen families–to equip women to be the best wives and mothers they can be, and especially to cultivate marriages that are rock solid.
Sheila has written four books for women, including To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother, and she has another coming out with Zondervan soon. She also writes a weekly parenting column, and speaks at women’s events and marriage conferences around North America. Usually, though, you can find her at home, where she homeschools her two daughters. And knits. Preferably simultaneously!
Sheila blogs daily at http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com (To Love, Honor and Vacuum), and you can find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/sheilagregoire) and on Facebook (http://facebook.com/sheila.gregoire.books).
Also…
Interests Knitting Camping Traveling to Africa! Favorite Movies Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version) Band of Brothers (to show that I'm a little strange) Bed of Roses Lord of the Rings Sense and Sensibility Favorite Music Third Day Mercy Me Martina McBride Terri Clark Sugarland Favorite Books Anything by Jane Austen (especially P&P) Francine Rivers' The Mark of the Lion series the Thoene's series on World War II and Jerusalem
29 DAYS TO GREAT SEX
http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2009/05/what-does-it-mean-to-pray-for-blessing/
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