My thoughts and conversation were dominated by one subject. After asking how the situation was going, my friend said, “You’re grieving your loss of innocence.” I laughed and told her that at my age, innocence was long gone.
Her further explanation gave me a lot to think about.
We’ve been coming to the same area for many years. The people are friendly and respectful. We have shown trust and respect to them in return.
Recently, someone broke that trust and deceived us. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and worked at a resolution. Our efforts were ignored, leaving us with a loss of time, money and trust.
Perhaps we’d been foolish in our actions. We hadn’t had a bad experience up to this point and failed to exercise the caution we should have. My belief in the inherent goodness and honesty of all business people had been broken. My friend was right in her assessment. I’d been innocent and now my eyes were open.
Looking at the situation as a learning experience helped me release the negative feelings I was holding. I was able to let go of the bitterness and anger. My thoughts were no longer dominated by this matter and life became peaceful again.
It was an expensive lesson, but could have been much worse.
As I was thinking about how people who are trusting are sometimes deceived, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden came to mind. They trusted the innocent looking serpent and allowed him to deceive them. That didn’t turn out well for them or for mankind.
The bottom line is, they didn’t talk to God before making a big decision. Neither did we. We trust He will take care of us, but failed to seek his guidance in this matter.
Maybe my loss of innocence was the only way for God to impress upon me the importance of trusting him and not my own limited understanding. In that case, the lesson was worth the price.
Tag: #God
A Good Father
Once upon a time a man fell in love with a mother of two young children. A wedding took place and they became a family.
As the children grew, he was there to instruct and watch over them. They were nourished, cared for and disciplined when necessary. He loved his children. They loved him in return and knew he always had their best interests at heart.
Years passed quickly and the children became young adults. They were now old enough to make their own decisions. One day they approached their father with a question. “Will you legally adopt us?” they asked.
The man was overjoyed. He had always considered them to be his children. Now they wanted to officially state that they belonged to him.
This story flooded me with emotion. As a good father who had loved and taken care of these children for many years, the man now had the great joy of knowing the children were taking his name.
This man’s joy was an example of my Heavenly Father’s response when one of his beloved children comes before him with the same request.
I picture him rejoicing over each of his children who choose to be identified with His name. God’s arms are outstretched to receive us to himself. There is much more I could share about my Heavenly Father and my relationship with Him. For now, I’ll close by telling you, since I asked Him to make me one of His children, my life is more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.
“Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are.” 1 John 3:1
Stand Still
I almost missed it. In fact, if someone hadn’t pointed to the opposite bank of the creek, I would have remained unaware.
A Great Blue Heron stood perfectly still by the creek bank. Without movement, this large bird easily blended into the natural surroundings. The previous week, I had seen a heron flying low over this same body of water. Perhaps it was the same one. This time I had the opportunity to take a picture.
I thought of the patience needed to remain motionless for an extended period of time. Standing still is not easy. For the heron, this patience would pay off when it saw its next meal swim by.
For me, patience can stop me from rushing ahead and making foolish mistakes. Oh, if only this were as easy as it sounds!
Right now, it seems like I’ve been in a holding pattern for far too long. I wonder how much longer I need to stand still. What repercussions will I face if I rush ahead before the timing is right?
As I pondered these questions, the words of a favourite song flooded my mind. “Stand still and let God move. Standing still is hard to do. When you think you have reached the end, he’ll make a way for you. Stand still, and let God move.” I am once again reminded that my timing is not perfect, whereas God’s timing is.
Maybe I’ll take a lesson from the heron and practice my patience. That way, when the time to move ahead comes, I’ll be ready.