Hi, and welcome back to Second Chance to Live. I am glad you decided to stop by and rest. I have been meditating upon several allegories I heard several years ago. I use these accounts to illustrate a point. I am not a gifted storyteller, but I will give you my best rendition. You may know the allegories better than I do, so fill in where appropriate. If anyone wants to fill in the blanks for me, please leave a comment. Thank you.
First allegory:
After days of raining, flooding becomes a concern of the local town’s people. As the flood-waters rise people begin to climb onto the roof of their homes. After climbing onto his roof, the man begins to pray ardently, “God please save me.” As the man waits for an answer, a boat comes by, but the man tells the owner of the boat, that God is going to save him. The boat goes on. A little while later a helicopter fly’s overhead and a latter is lowered, but the man waves the helicopter off while screaming that God is going to save me. Well the flood-waters continued to rise and the man drowns. When he gets to heaven, St. Peter asks, “How did you die?” The man tells him how a flood caught him and that he drowned. The man then asks St. Peter a question, “Why God did not answer my prayers and save me?” St. Peter tells the man, “I don’t understand, God sent you a boat and a helicopter.”
Second Allegory:
A man is hiking in the mountains and unknowingly steps off a cliff. As the man is falling he is able to grab hold of a ledge. As the man is dangling, he starts yelling for help, “Is anyone up there?”… “Hello is anyone up there?”… “Please help me”. And then the man hears a voice, unlike any voice that he has heard before. “I am here”, the voice responds. The man shouts back, I have fallen off the side of the cliff and I can barely hang on any longer. The man asks, “Can you please help me?” The voice declares back, “This is God and I want you to let go.” To that the man cries out, “ Is anyone else up there?” The man had no idea there was a ledge directly below him. Instead he keeps struggling.
Many times we may find ourselves in places that seem to be overwhelming. We may believe we have strong faith in God, however we may not take advantage of what is given to us. We may scoff at what is happening in our lives, but refuse to learn from our circumstances. We may be depending on our resources, even though the God of our understanding may be sending us practical solutions. We may find ourselves looking for a way out, when an important lesson needs to be gained by staying in. We may want to blame someone for how “things are”, and forget that we have the power of choice (please read my post, The Power of Choice). We may want to point the finger at someone in our lives, when we need to be responsible to ourselves.
I have learned a valuable lesson through my recovery process. I may change my environment, the people I associate with, and the places that I attend, but wherever I go, there I am. I am the common denominator. When I made the decision to stop making someone else responsible for my choices, my eyes were opened. If I have a problem with another person, it is in my best interest to keep the focus on myself. The manner in which I chose to respond or react is more about me than it is about the other person. When I learn the lesson, I will respond rather than react. Sometimes it just takes what it takes. With everything there is a learning curve.
As I rely on the God of my understanding, I become more independent and less dependent on my fellows. God has the answers, not man. We may have not gotten the answer we wanted when we prayed, because God loves you and I too much. Thank God for unanswered prayer. If I had gotten what I wanted at the time, my life would certainly have been sabotaged. So when you find yourself in situations and with people that you perceive to be difficult, be encouraged. You may think that the lesson is meant for your harm, but in reality you are being prepared. You are being given the opportunity to learn the lesson.
Learning in not meant to be punitive. Learning although difficult at times is meant to enhance our lives. When Jesus declared in John 10:10, “I came that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly” I believe He meant for you and I to be of good courage. We are more than conquerors through Him who love us. God is creating and we are metamorphosing. We are the clay and He is the Potter. So learn from your experiences, circumstances, and the people you have a hard time loving. They are gifts in disguise and the portals to a life that you have been longing to live.
As you watch, listen to or read my article (s) and questions come to mind, please send those questions to me. All questions are good question. In the event that you would like to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you. You may send your question (s) or comment (s) by clicking on this link: Contact Page
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