My Toughest Prayer

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By far they are my two most difficult prayers: the two where my faith faces its greatest test. These are not the usual bless this or bless that prayers I so often fall back on. They differ significantly from my usual, "Help me!" prayers that I really should say long before I reach the end of me. No, these prayers are different. These prayers are scary because they truly mean giving up control. The first is, "Father give me the day I need to grow in You." The second is even scarier: "Father give my family the day they need to grow in You."

What makes these prayers so tough? Well, they involve surrender, allowing God to move me out of my comfort zone. No longer can I stay on the smooth path, these prayers open the door to allowing God to put me on the path of His choosing. Sometimes He chooses a smooth path but often He chooses the difficult path. At times He chooses a path that's too steep for me to climb on my own. Always He chooses the path that is best for me. These prayers are my way of saying I accept His choice no matter how strong the urge to run in another direction.

These prayers are about surrendering my dreams for myself and my family. That's really difficult as so much of how I measure myself is based on my ability to achieve and to help my family achieve what I think is best. It's a tough pill to swallow to think that my plans fall short of the goals He has for us. I'd like to think I know best. It hurts my pride to think that I need to surrender my dreams because they fall short of His expectations.

You see, my path and holding on to my dreams are all about control. They are about doing things my way even if it's not in my best interest. Oh, I think my ideas are best but God sees the whole picture. From His viewpoint He sees where I am bound to come up short. He offers the path to real growth and real success. And yet I am unwilling to let go of my control, not even to gain the promise and hope of abundant life, and fulfillment of dreams. Even though I know God's goals for me are bigger than my dreams, turning over complete control of the navigation towards His goals scares me.

"God, give me the day I need to grow in you: to get to where you want me." That's a tough prayer to say and believe. For Christians, it's one of the most important things we can say. Are you willing to say this prayer? Perhaps you prefer Jesus' version, "...not my will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42 NKJV) Are you willing to say it AND mean it?

How God Blessed Us in August 2019

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God blesses His children in many ways, not just financially. In fact I believe there are a number of blessings from God which are not material in nature. As I grow older I find that these non-material blessings are generally more valuable than the things God gives to me. During the month of August, I experienced a number of these other types of blessings from God. Here are two examples.

In July’s blessings I mentioned God providing for a conference that my family wanted to attend. The conference ran into the month of August, during which I was blessed to be able to serve God by helping make sure things were run smoothly. By serving my brothers and sisters I was able to serve God. More accurately, I was able to tag along while God took care of the work. This blessing, of being able to work for God and see Him at work, was a great and powerful blessing, as God opened doors and equipped me to do things for others.

And the blessings didn’t stop with the work of coordinating things. Because of the work I was doing I had the opportunity to bless others who came to me with questions. One person in particular needed to discuss a burden he had been carrying on his heart. My schedule allowed me to share with him as we sought God’s wisdom. What a blessing I received to be able to see God at work in the heart and mind of another brother in Christ. God allowed me to invest in the life of another person and it was time well spent.

God also blessed me by solving a problem before I even new one existed. Having my college age son home for the summer meant keeping his uniforms clean for work. Somehow there was a point where I missed putting them in with the rest of the laundry. As a result I thought I had left him without a clean uniform one day. Turns out on the day before I discovered my mistake, the company gave out shirts for a special commemoration which the workers could use as part of their uniforms. Problem solved. God provided.

How has God been blessing you? Contact me on Twitter (@denniswcoleman) or via email (dcwriter1@hotmail.com) to share the work God is doing in your life.

Back To School? I Miss Summer Already

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The kids look so sad. Meanwhile mom is riding up and down the aisles on the back of a shopping cart. This was how one office supply chain painted back to school shopping a few years ago. The children in the commercial looked as if one of their pets had recently died. Meanwhile mom must have just hit the lottery. (Of course, what we don't see is the sticker shock suffered when she reaches the cash register.) Personally I've never experienced the euphoria of back to school shopping. I'm more like the children, morning the end of summer and of the break from having my schedule dictated by the school calendar. As a result, back to school time is not a season I choose to celebrate.

I will especially miss summer 2019. I can't pinpoint why but somehow this summer was different. Somehow I seemed to enjoy the blessings of life more than I have in the past. I was able to enjoy family time more than in the past. I took time to notice the different shades of blue in the morning sky as the days grew longer and then, after June,  started to grow shorter. And, although it seemed like it rained every third day during the first half of the season, there were quite a few dry days when I enjoyed a two wheel commute instead of four. But all of that was there in years past. What was different this year?

Well, though it pains me to admit, this year I am (gulp) a bit older and perhaps a bit wiser. With wisdom comes the realization that some things just aren't that important. And somethings that are important must fall in line behind God, family, health and admiring a blue sky. This summer was different because I was wise enough to be a human being instead of a human doing. Now the goal is to continue living even as homework and PTO/PTA beckon. If you need me I'm the guy on the motorcycle looking up at the sky at a red light while raising my arms towards heaven.