Praying for the Hard Things

Lately I’ve been focusing on praying for the hard things. It has been such a shift for me personally and while it has been absolutely terrifying, it has been so worth it.

It is easy to pray for things you want to receive, have happen to you, etc. Those things are the things we have lined out in our minds about how our story should go or how we would like our story to go. Even though we say we give God control, we still have moments where we try and take control and dictate our lives. To a degree, it is human nature, and something we must constantly fight. I definitely think I have come a long ways with giving up control but there are still days and moments I have to tell myself to let go.

Anyway, lately I have not been praying to receive things or praying for things I want to happen. I have been praying for the hard things:

• To let God have control
• For God to place the right people in my life/people that will support me and help me on this journey
• For God to use me to glorify him
• For God to use my house as a safe place where people are free to come whenever they want

To let God have control:

As I previously said. This one is a hard one and definitely a struggle at times. But when I truly give God control it is so worth it, and it has been worth it every single time. It has brought me peace in the worst situations.

For God to place the right people in my life/people that will support me and help me on this journey:

I have been praying fervently for this one. Kind of like that post I wrote awhile back about friends being reasons, seasons, or lifetimes. When left to our own devices, it is sometimes hard to figure out the purposes/roles of some of the people in our lives and it can be downright confusing. But when you pray to God to place people in your life that he wants there and then you watch overtime as it unfolds…it is truly amazing.

He has put numerous new people in my life already including my realtor friend, people I have met at Tuesday night bible study, people I have met at Thursday night bible study, people from church, and even patients. A quick story…

I met with someone from my church a little over a week ago about getting involved in church. It was incredible. Not only did I get the scoop about getting involved but I shared things with her that I did not necessarily intend on sharing and she shared with me as well. You know what? Life is messy. But when you have people to share it with, it is so much easier. It is also healing.

He also placed this same person in my life at the right time because I needed a push….I had been considering going on our churches women’s retreat but I wasn’t entirely sure. Truthfully I was scared…I am new, I don’t know anyone, I am weird, etc. Well at bible study two weeks ago, one of the ladies got up and spoke about the women going on the retreat and how so many people have told “but I’m just a little weird” and she said: we are all weird! It was something so simple, but it was absolutely what I needed to hear. After that, I talked to the lady I met with from church and asked her about it and she pushed me further..and long story short, I signed up and I’m going. I’m not going to lie, I’m still anxious about it, but I think it will definitely be a blessing.

For God to Use Me to Glorify Him

This one has been particularly scary to pray about because I have been praying that he use me however he sees fit…and it doesn’t always line up with what I think I want. It’s equally scary when I would be totally okay with walking away from my career if I felt like God was calling me to do something else. Scary…but oddly invigorating.

Anyway this has been challenging me in several ways with stepping outside my comfort zone to get involved in church and also pushing me to share my faith with others.

I’m curious to watch as this one continues to develop.

For God to Use my House as a Safe Place Where People are Free to Come Whenever they Want

My husband and I were very fortunate and blessed that we were able to afford the house that we are in. We pretty much plan on it being our forever home, God willing. Anyway, part of the reason we got it was because it had a whole upstairs full of bedrooms that would allow us to have company and/or have room for kiddos someday (God-willing).

Since buying the house, I have been praying to God to open my heart and to openly invite whoever wants to come into my house. Believe me, I have already been tested on this. We have had so much company in the last two months it has been unreal. There are times it would have been easy to say no…especially on the weekends I have to work. But I have challenged myself and have said yes every-time, it has definitely been tiring.

But you know what? It’s worth it. It is one of the neatest feelings to see family/friends gathered at your house and to see them feel welcome and at home.

My house can be an escape for people. We all need an escape from our day to day lives at different points. Furthermore, having company breaks up the mundane day to day stuff for me as well.

I hope that God continues to use my house as a place that people can come and feel welcome and that we can use our house to bless others.

When we pray for the hard things, sometimes we end up with the biggest blessings. It is easy to be content and not challenge ourselves, but our biggest growth typically occurs in times of uncertainty and change.

Peace and love to all of you my sweet friends.