We’re Monday Morning Musing again. If you’ve missed the details of what goes on here each week feel free to check them out.
Today we’re musing a quote by one of my all. time. favorites.
The Quote:
“I have had prayers answered – most strangely so sometimes – but I think our Heavenly Father’s loving-kindness has been even more evident in what He has refused me.”
-Lewis Carroll
The Question:
Can you think of a time the Lord, in His loving-kindness, refused you something? Looking back, what are your thoughts on the thing you wanted so? Have you thanked the Lord for withholding whatever it was?
Not sure if this is EXACTLY what you’re talking about, but we wanted a child for a VERY long time – and our first one came at the absolute PERFECT time – which was way later than we in our own minds wanted him. I have often thanked the Lord for not giving us what we wanted earlier.
Most recently it was prayer for a miracle healing, but I’m starting to see the beauty in the “no” as more and more time passes.
As I wait this morning, to hear the test results from my mother’s recent tests for pancreatic cancer…where I prayed for a miraculous healing…I wonder how He will answer and how I will respond. My mother believes that His answer is no and that she is willing to walk down whatever road He has set before her.
I think that I get it set in my mind that when I pray and the answer is no…I did something wrong. It’s hard to see how God could have anything good come from a no-answer. But He sees the entire picture…not just the inch that I’m standing on. He understands that what we see as a “no” will hurt us for the moment. He looks ahead and says…Oh, child, just wait….the yes is coming in a far better way.
All the time – I am incredibly gifted at thinking I have things all figured out, only to have God say “Um, no.” But as a parent, I can appreciate that because there are lots of times I have to say no to my own kids for their own good, even if it is something that isn’t necessarily wrong or bad. It’s just either not the best timing or not the best thing for them.
I’m beginning to think that when you say “Monday Morning Musing” what you really mean is “let’s see if we can get all up in Kara’s junk on Monday when she’s real bright and cheery like”. Yep that’s what I think it means. This quote pokes around in parts of my soul I’d rather not have intruded upon. I guard those things carefully, you know. There are those things I know aren’t out and out refusals (more like delays) and there are things I refuse to believe are refusals. I can’t deal with the “no” of some of those requests yet. Even still, I can see the refusals that were absolutely painted with his loving-kindness. No to marrying the college boyfriend and no to graduate school or a job I thought I wanted and so on the list goes. But still, some refusals feel too fresh and still like a tender wound to be thankful for. To those I know His mercy and loving-kindness are still tending to. Yet in this I still can say “my God is good”. And Kristen likes to get all up in my junk on a Monday morning.