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Christian Home and Family: Flexibility in Family Life

Christian Home and Family: Flexibility in Family Life

Last updated on: January 29, 2015 at 10:41 am by Christian Podcast Central

Christian Home and Family: Flexibility in Family Life 2015-01-29T10:41:55-08:00 Christian Podcast Central

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From Carey Green, author, blogger, speaker, coach and pastor:

Life gets crazy. Work demands, soccer games, home repairs, shopping trips, relationships to maintain, and important, ongoing conversations to have. It’s enough to make you the most inflexible person alive!

On top of all that is the heart-cry we all have to discover and do what God is calling us to. I don’t know about you, but I’m in THAT place almost all the time… wondering what the LORD wants me to do when I grow up.

My family is in that place right now, prayerfully trying to determine what the LORD is leading us to and how we are to get there. It’s a confusing, unclear time… but one where we’re learning some very valuable lessons.

Most of all, we’re learning the family life requires a great deal of flexibility, because we are not God. We get our plans in place, work toward them, but many times find that our plans were not God’s plans. Sound familiar to anyone?

This episode covers a very helpful truth I’ve discovered that’s helping to take the pressure off by increasing my faith. Family life has never been so good when I’m able to keep the truth in mind!

Proverbs 16:9 says:

The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

So, it’s not uncommon for us to have ideas in our heads of what we think we should be doing or where we should be heading; and yes, we pray and seek God for His will to guide us. But the fact of the matter is that we are still fallen human beings and we don’t always hear Him correctly. We don’t always discern what it is exactly that He wants us to do. We do our best and we walk in faith, which pleases Him immensely, but we still miss the mark. So, the actual circumstances and life steps that we are taking don’t seem to line up with what we feel that God wants us to do.

So what do you do then?

I think the truth behind Proverbs 16:9 helps us tremendously. That truth is that God is the one who is sovereign and He brings into our lives the things that are meant for us at His perfect time.

We need to learn how to rest in that. We need to stop being so uptight and anxious about whether or not we’re getting where we think we should go. Instead, we need to trust the Lord with our circumstances and where we are in life.

We have to remember that even though we have our plans – and we may even believe that they are from the Lord – but ultimately it’s God who directs our steps.

Too often we get wrapped up thinking that life is all about tomorrow, or the vision about where we are headed. But in reality, life is about right now. This moment that God has given us matters. So, we need to take the present situation, circumstance and place and recognize that the Lord has placed us here now for His good purpose. We need to walk through it faithfully, trusting God in the midst of it and let our faith grow rather than be hindered because of our own frustrations.

This is a huge example for us to offer to our children.

Your children will learn what it looks like to be a man or woman of God through times of frustration and confusion. If you walk faithfully, they will see the fruit of the Spirit and the joy of the Lord coming out even through these tough seasons of life. They will see God at work in your life and learn that circumstances don’t matter, following the Lord in faith is what matters.

When we remain flexible to the prompting and guidance of God’s will, so that His plans are what prevails in our lives, then we will demonstrate to our children what it is like to rest in God’s peace and how to wait on Him to reveal your next step.

One of my favorite devotional authors, Oswald Chambers, often wrote, “Until further orders…” referencing military terminology that means that God has given you orders to be in the place where you are at right now. Your job is to be faithful in that task, in that role, in that place until you receive further orders from Him.

For more encouraging and engaging videos and podcasts, visit the E-Squared Media Network at www.e2medianetwork.com.

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