When God starts to teach you a lesson you had better watch out! If you haven't read my previous posts about learning from my art teacher friend about watercolors you should go back and read those first.
At a retreat 2 weekends ago she walked us through an art lesson on watercolors and the need to recognize that you have to let go and let the water go where it will. As we were painting our pictures someone would groan in frustration and Kathy would call out, "Sit on your hands! Don't try to fix it. You will just make it worse. Work with it." Another person would sigh and she would call out, "Sit on your hands! Don't try to control it."
We applied this metaphor to trusting God and letting go, and SITTING ON OUR HANDS.
So last weekend I was scheduled to fly out of Grand Rapids at 6:30 pm on Thursday for Newark, NJ. Direct flight...not so much! Between a weather system making its way across the country and a mess up by a ticketing agent I ended up with an overnight in Cleveland, and arrival time in Newark of 8:00 am on Saturday, where they proceeded to lose the luggage I had gate checked in Cleveland. They did find it about an hour later. Because everyone else had already arrived at the retreat center 15 hours earlier I then took a taxi for 90 minutes down to Long Beach Island.
During this whole 2 hour trip turned into 38 hours I kept saying to myself, "Sit on your hands. See how the picture develops. SIT ON YOUR HANDS!" It was an amazing experience. It didn't seem like anything very spiritual happened. I met some nice people who were also frustrated. I got to talk with my Haitian taxi driver for 90 minutes about life in Haiti. I arrived at the retreat center smiling and ready for whatever God had in store.
The women there had been praying that I would be safe and arrive soon, or at least sometime. My role at the retreat was minor, so it didn't impact the great things God was up to because I was 17 hours late, but many of the women commented that I was smiling, and looked relaxed. So I had numerous opportunities to share with them what God was teaching me about "Sitting on my hands," and trusting him to paint the picture he intended to paint. It was a very good but short weekend.
The trip home was indeed at direct flight and all went well.
Then came Monday, and I felt like God upped the ante a bit. Monday afternoon I got a phone call that a major event I was planning on for mid May was being cancelled. Now this would always be frustrating, but Al is an interim pastor and right now he is between positions, waiting to see what God has in store for us next. This conference in May was going to be a big part of our income for the month. Once again I heard God say, "Sit on your hands." God also drew me back to a Scripture He had given me a couple of years ago from Isaiah 48:4 "But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent me strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."
I'm sitting on my hands. So what "mistakes" and "surprises" have been happening in your life? I wonder what picture God is trying to paint. I'm trying not to make a mess by fixing what needs to be worked with.
At a retreat 2 weekends ago she walked us through an art lesson on watercolors and the need to recognize that you have to let go and let the water go where it will. As we were painting our pictures someone would groan in frustration and Kathy would call out, "Sit on your hands! Don't try to fix it. You will just make it worse. Work with it." Another person would sigh and she would call out, "Sit on your hands! Don't try to control it."
We applied this metaphor to trusting God and letting go, and SITTING ON OUR HANDS.
So last weekend I was scheduled to fly out of Grand Rapids at 6:30 pm on Thursday for Newark, NJ. Direct flight...not so much! Between a weather system making its way across the country and a mess up by a ticketing agent I ended up with an overnight in Cleveland, and arrival time in Newark of 8:00 am on Saturday, where they proceeded to lose the luggage I had gate checked in Cleveland. They did find it about an hour later. Because everyone else had already arrived at the retreat center 15 hours earlier I then took a taxi for 90 minutes down to Long Beach Island.
During this whole 2 hour trip turned into 38 hours I kept saying to myself, "Sit on your hands. See how the picture develops. SIT ON YOUR HANDS!" It was an amazing experience. It didn't seem like anything very spiritual happened. I met some nice people who were also frustrated. I got to talk with my Haitian taxi driver for 90 minutes about life in Haiti. I arrived at the retreat center smiling and ready for whatever God had in store.
The women there had been praying that I would be safe and arrive soon, or at least sometime. My role at the retreat was minor, so it didn't impact the great things God was up to because I was 17 hours late, but many of the women commented that I was smiling, and looked relaxed. So I had numerous opportunities to share with them what God was teaching me about "Sitting on my hands," and trusting him to paint the picture he intended to paint. It was a very good but short weekend.
The trip home was indeed at direct flight and all went well.
Then came Monday, and I felt like God upped the ante a bit. Monday afternoon I got a phone call that a major event I was planning on for mid May was being cancelled. Now this would always be frustrating, but Al is an interim pastor and right now he is between positions, waiting to see what God has in store for us next. This conference in May was going to be a big part of our income for the month. Once again I heard God say, "Sit on your hands." God also drew me back to a Scripture He had given me a couple of years ago from Isaiah 48:4 "But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent me strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God."
I'm sitting on my hands. So what "mistakes" and "surprises" have been happening in your life? I wonder what picture God is trying to paint. I'm trying not to make a mess by fixing what needs to be worked with.
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