Work the forest of your life (encouragements)
Do we have a say on everything we receive?
Think of this: ' God created Adam only after He had brought the world to light. If Adam was created a bit earlier (let say on the first or second day), then surely Adam would have given God his opinion on how things should be done.'
Look at this for a moment: ' When God created Eve , He ensured that Adam falls asleep. Adam only sees Eve in his awakening (reference Genesis 2). As if God suspected that Adam would bother Him with personal opinions on how Eve should be shaped.
At times, God will not want to be bothered by our opinions on the gifts He offers us.
Personally, there are times where I question God about certain things He placed in my life and in response , instead of replying to me directly with my concerns, He replies to me with a subject totally different and unlinked to my concern.
As if He is telling me: 'Well, Son, just deal with it. Now, let's talk about something else...'
Now I understand why He acts this way...
You see my friend, we will not always have a say on everything God makes for us. If we understand that truth, we will live more content with what He offers us and instead of complaining, we will make something out of what He gave us.
The parable of the talents included in Matthew 25:14-30 records the story of three servants who were given talents from their master. One receives 5, the other 2 and the last servant receives 1 talent. Notice that none of the servants had a say on what they received. They just had to take what was given. But the last servant seemed to have hidden a few opinions for himself...He does not seem satisfied with the size of his gifts and decides on burying it to ground and give it back to his master.
Hold on a second... Has anyone of you received back a gift you made to somebody? Have you ever made a gift to someone, just to get it back from them a few days later? Even worse; have you ever received back your unwanted gift in public? Do you know the feeling of the admirer who receives back flowers from an uninterested woman?
Can you imagine the embarrassing feeling?
This is exactly some of us do with the gift God gives us: 'we receive, we voice our opinions and then we want to give it back to Him under the excuse that the gift is not suitable to our needs.'
That's one of the reasons why the Master in the parable of the talents gets 'super-upset'. It's very hurtful to receive back a beautiful gift from an un-wanting recipient, especially when the intentions were perfect.
The discontent servant was the last to receive the talents. Therefore, he had time to see what the others received. The lust of his eyes led him to compare his gifts with what his colleagues received and he ended up belittling his only talent. Sometimes God will give us things (a husband, a wife, kids, a job, a business, a ministry, etc...) and we will fall in the trap set by the lust of our eyes by comparing it with others people stuff and just to say later:
'God, I don't want it. Please take it back'
In moments like these, God will not want your opinions. Be warned in advance.
The servants in the parables were meant to do something out of the talents they received. Only two mastered the lesson, the third one needed a whip on his 'rear-end' to understand it. In other words, God will give us a gift while expecting us to make something out of it.
We will not be entitled to have a say on the way He made the gift, but we will have a say on what we wish it to become (now that's better).
I recently watched a very constructive dialogue interview between Bishop TD Jakes and Pastor Steven Furtick on You tube (I strongly recommend that you watch it...) and I really remember a thing Bishop TD Jakes said:
'...God does not make chairs. God is not in the business of making chairs. God makes trees and gives them to us. It is up to us to transform those trees in chairs and tables. The problem with many of us remains in the fact that we constantly want chairs and tables from God, even when He already gave the trees...'
( Bishop TD Jakes, author of 'Soar')
We want the perfect career while neglecting the possibility that the current job we have could be the tree we need to shape to lead us into the career we want. We want the perfect spouse while neglecting the fact that relationship are as much work as woodwork.
We want the perfect life circumstances while overlooking the current one in hand.
God does not give chairs...He gives trees. God will not be bothered by our opinions on how the tree was made. But He is interested in seeing us shaping trees into roofs, tables, chairs, cabins...
Think of this: 'how many times have we felt into discontent state and consequently decided to bury the trees God gave us?'
Let's get to work, the forest of your life is full of trees.
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