I remember a story told by a pastor. There was a man who took his wife out on an overnight getaway for their anniversary. He wooed her, charmed her, praised her beauty and made lambing to her.
He told her, “I remember when I first saw you in that restaurant. Your hair looked so beautiful under the bright chandelier.”
The wife didn’t respond.
The husband continued, “You were so good in writing poetries back then. I wonder why you no longer show them to me lately.”
The wife didn’t respond.
The husband, getting discouraged, asked, “Are you upset with me because we didn’t go to your favorite getaway for our anniversary?”
Suddenly, the wife got angry and before she walked out she said in tears, "I haven't been to that restaurant! I never write poetry! And THIS IS my favorite getaway!"
Turned out that the husband was referring to a different woman all this time.
The pastor said, “You see, the praises were real. The praises were sincere and heartfelt. But it’s for the wrong person. And sometimes we praise God for something that we make Him out to be and not for who He really is.“
I saw this example in my life just last Sunday. My lola and some of my titas almost wrote me and several of my family members off because of some misunderstandings in the past. Being a lola of course she wouldn’t make the first move to reach out and we refused too so we never visited their place for a long time now.
Last Sunday I summoned all the guts that I have and visited her and my tita. That is like with God. His relationship with you will also translate into your other relationships. Even those you don't like. I didn't want ever to go to my lola's house but there's this persistent, gentle beckoning in my heart and so we went.
I oh so dreaded the moment of reaching for her hand so I can bow my head to it (a Filipino tradition of showing respect to the elderly).
I prayed and prayed hard for grace. When I got there, my lola had just left but I was able to straighten things out with my tita. I went home saying thanks because God answered my prayer and protected me from an encounter with my lola.
That’s not like God at all. God is for restoring relationships. Getting at their house right after lola left is not the answer to my prayer because it’s not going to fix the relationship at all. Real grace that would come from Him is one that you experience right in the battlefield…right when you’re petrified and stubbornly refusing to do what will bring Him glory and you do not have anyone else to back you up.
I pray that one day God will fix this gap in our family.
After all, all stories in Christ are victorious.
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