Getting What You Want

Jeff Bezos has stated a few times that his success can be attributed to not letting anyone else tell him who he is. While this sounds like solid advice, this fixed idea fails to include the importance of being flexible or open-minded, especially while building and maintaining a business. Just as the seasons change, so does a business and the social climate. Flexibility allows for growth. Maturity allows for change.

People change and evolve in their thinking and who they are throughout their lives. A very over-simplified example is the child who receives an allowance. One child might spend it on candy or a toy. As a teenager, they may save it to build enough to buy something like a car that they want. As an adult, still saving, they may invest to make it grow larger and faster, planning out the larger picture. Who that person is today is very much the result of an ever-evolving time of growth and maturity. They are molded through the experiences they have. They stretch, grow, and mature to become a changed individual. But, that’s only if a person is willing to allow it to happen. It can’t be ignored, forced, or coerced.

            Mary was a friend of mine who was a faithful prayer warrior. She confided in our lady’s group that she had been praying the same exact request to God for many years. She was estranged from her son and wanted God to fix it. She was very detailed in how exactly she wanted God to do it. After some discussion among the ladies, it was suggested that perhaps if she would consider changing up her uncompromising prayer a little bit, she might see a different response from God. We can be confident that God did indeed know what was on her heart. But perhaps he wanted her to understand the experience or examine her request and grow from them? It is not for us to know. But a week later, she informed us that the moment she relented and changed her request of God the telephone rang and it was her son. We were so thankful that she had shared this burden with us.

            God wants us to grow and mature. Our life experiences are meant to provide us with opportunities to do just that. We cannot become fixated on or blinded by a formulated plan or idea. Because then we can’t see the proverbial forest through the trees. It’s great to have plans. It’s great to go to God in prayer. He does want to hear from us often. But, (yes there is one) we should test out our prayer requests. For God has a plan for each one of us. He knows what is best for us. Our plans may not always be in line with his. All we can do is be patient, continue to have conversations with God, and to support one another in the journey.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor (Galatians 6:2-6 NIV).