“But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit.” Psalm 86.15
There are certain patterns in life I would love to break. Events that never seems to get better, decisions I know will never be right, and comments that only cause pain. The patterns are part of a package that each person carries around; they keeps us humble for sure, cause pain for others frequently, and are a hassle in general. The specifics for me will be different, the challenge is do we know, understand, and want to do something about them!
Yesterday my package came together in a complete combination. An event of choice appeared to be a good one, but proved to be just the same as every other event like it before, irrelevant, boring, and distracting. I followed this choice by making a decision for the family without consulting anyone and created unnecessary stress. In the end, everyone agreed that it was the right call; they just needed to participate in the process. The final straw was my comments on another’s decision. My comments may or may not be accurate, the issue is that they do not help improve the situation and I knew it before I made them. Undoing the pain is a long process.
What should we do with the package we carry? Is God willing to take them on? If so what does taking them on mean on Monday morning? Is it a sign of weakness to talk about this?
I believe we need to examine every event, decision, or word that hurts another individual very carefully. There may be a good rationale, however we all carry patterns of anger, frustration, and focus on self.
God’s response to my situation was simple. God flooded me with small acts of grace and kindness. God showed me unconditional acceptance. God did not leave me alone, even when I tried to wander.
God response to your life is simple, love, grace, acceptance and presence. Everything we need for new patterns and life.
