I don't understand how some people can expect people to bend to their wants and needs in our world. Everyone is hurting and it seems like no one wants to change that cycle, but they're okay with complaining about the cycle not changing.
People don't change, not in the common knowledge sense. They grow. They mold and adapt to knew things but at the end of the day, we are still just people. There are two types of people, just kidding there's thousands of types but the one on which I'll focus on here is the victim.
There's always a victim, there's always a hero, and there's always an antagonist. For whatever reason the victim always thinks the antagonist is this horrible person that doesn't change and won't adapt. But is that really what an antagonist is? I don't think so. What if the "villain" had a bad day? What if the villain and the "damsel" just will never get along?
I hate that fairy tales have told us from the moment we took breath in this world that we need to be saved by something tangible and people need to change to fit OUR lifestyles. I mean really, how selfish are we?!
No. We need to grow and adapt to fit God's ways. Our ways suck. We expect apples to become oranges and when it doesn't happen we get upset and throw a tantrum. Then we wait a while and try again. When we reach the same result (apple stays apple) we get pissed again! We so desperately need to give God the control. If we know an apple and it needs a little changing, yelling at it, punishing it, and trying to force it to change its behavior as an apple will never work!
Here's the cool thing though. God can change us. He can. I am living proof he can. He can take an apple and make it agree with an orange. Notice I didn't say he would take an apple and change it into an orange. He has created us each with specific purposes and he won't change who we are but he will change how we act and react to things, if we allow him to, that is.
Today, as I continue in my journey to find freedom in Christ, I realized I had been yelling at a banana who was yelling at a zucchini who was yelling at the banana, to change into an orange. Then, when things didn't go my way I felt guilty. Like I had done something wrong. But I know guilt is not from God so I did a little talk therapy and the realization of, "It's not your fault because you can't control all those fruits and vegetables, " dawned on me.
See, humans like to be in control...it's why there's war and wealth and pain and suffering. But control is an illusion. We can only think we are in control. Never are we ever in control because God is in control and that's the reality.
Us trying to control things is like a 5 year old trying to pull the monkey bars down to the ground, completely and utterly ridiculous. But when the 5 year old gives up and realizes the poles hold up the bars and control where they 'go', he can sit back and enjoy the jungle gym as it was meant to be enjoyed.
After I realized all of this, my guilt vanished because I gave God the control. I felt free. I realized I never had control over the "produce" in my life and I never will.
Last thing...last week my community group read and discussed Philippians 4:4-9 (I think those are the verses). The end result of my thinkings from that night were this:
We want the second half of the passage, the peace, the joy, the freedom. We want to put our guilt away and stop feeling shame and condemnation, but we aren't willing to do the first half: pray, rejoice in the LORD, have relationship with God. But that's what the passage says to do. It's clear. Rejoice in God, petition him with prayer for your needs and you will not live in fear and guilt and anxiety.
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