Listen:
“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, Why did you make me like this?” (Romans 9:20)
Reflect:
Paul’s ridiculous question reminds me of a parenting principle we used with our children when they were younger. The idea is that by establishing a moment of uninterrupted “couch time” to talk to one another, parents let fussy and overly present children know that they are not the center of the universe and that mom and dad’s happiness doesn’t depend on them. In the beginning this does not go down without a struggle, but soon the child begins to accept and even enjoy these times. Because who can live with that much pressure anyway?
On good days, when I feel on top of things, relating to God as my Creator seems natural and simple. But there have been times in my life when things did not add up and unresolved issues started getting to me. I felt the pressure rising, bringing unsettling and painful questions to the surface. I am learning to be more patient with the questions. Not because I am seeking answers that I cannot understand right now, but because God always starts with us there, where we really are, with what is. If I want to see lasting change in my life, I need to start there too.
God can handle my struggle and when He calls for Trinitarian couch time, there is something infinitely reassuring about being put into one’s place by God. It is a good, good place to be. It always ends with some form of peace-bringing realization that “God is in heaven; all is well with the world” (Anne of Green Gables).
Prayer of Response:
“Lord, you’ve got this. You’ve got me. When I get lost, bring me back to the place where I know that my Redeemer lives. And that is enough.”
—Submitted by Gudren Reeves
Gudrun lives and works with her husband and four Austro-Texan children in the Christian retreat center Champfleuri (near Grenoble, France) where two LSM schools and several connect soul-care days have taken place.
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