Ok, so I was reading this article entitled God's Beautiful Plan. I was kind of turned off but the painting of the ballerina =P-- but I read it in spite of that because I have read Dan Edelen's other stuff and almost always walk away from it having learned something. I began reading and was immediately was drawn in and loved the article. The way he applied the verse "He has made everything beautiful in His time…"—Ecclesiastes 3:11a was beautiful and really made me think.
There was one section that really really stuck out to me though and that I just dwelt on for a while.
"Anymore, I feel that my role in discipling consists of one thing: to be available for other people. Just to be there. When they struggle with an area of life, rather than me telling them, “Oh, you shouldn’t be struggling,” or “You should be doing this, this, this and this,” instead I’ll be asking , “How can I be there for you to help you become more like Jesus?”
"This doesn’t mean that we don’t teach people the things they need to know. It doesn’t mean that we don’t reprove. Only that we do it in a way forged through that incalculably valuable question, “How can I be there for you to help you become more like Jesus?”
Many times I shared stuff with people and gotten the first couple responses, the first one not as much, but the second one I've gotten alot along with "You shouldn't have done that, that, and that," so often when I've confessed stuff to people I get that look that says "Oh my gosh how could you do that! I can't believe you!" Now they may never say that in so many words but facial expressions are often more telling than what people actually say. I'm a perfect example of that. =P Anyways I'm kind of getting off track. I was thinking how incredibly helpful it would be for me if after I shared something with someone they would say, “How can I be there for you to help you become more like Jesus?” I mean and they weren't just saying it either. They weren't just saying it because it was the right thing to say but because they actually cared. I thought about it and thought how much that would mean to me and how much I would appreciate it. I would probably share so much with that person. Because most of the time when I share something with someone, I know what I did was wrong and I know what I should have done instead. I honestly probably don't need to be told a ton of times what an idiot I was and how I could have been smarter. I know. lol
Uh oh...conviction. Yet as much as I hate that being done to me, how many times have I been the person that uses the first couple responses? Uh oh. Ok, so maybe to my friends I don't use those two alot--but in relating to my sister or someone I consider a sibling like-- Justin =P, I'll be like "Ying why did you do that and that? You should have done this and this!" She knows that already! I don't need to tell her that, ok maybe if it's something she didn't then I should but still most of the time she knows what the problem is and what she could have done instead. How much more loving would it be for me if I was to ask her the question “How can I be there for you to help you become more like Jesus?” I mean seriously.
But yeah the article is amazing and I loved it, because not only did I get that one thing from it but a bunch of other stuff too. Like thinking about it there is a reason I am where I'm at right now. God will make me beautiful in his timing, not mine, not anyone else's. God will make other people beautiful in his timing, not mine, not theirs, not anyone else's. Ok, so I know people would say that they believe it and all that. But do we really? No, I mean really get this. Because I think...no, wait I know in the past and I still do have a tendency to look down on certain people who just don't seem to get it or are doing stuff completely wrong and not seeming to care at all. [which I need to get over and God is quite actively pruning pride out of my life and humbling me in ways that I probably wouldn't have picked out..lol] But yeah being completely honest I do have that tendency. Or I get frustrated with people wondering why on earth they don't get stuff! ...ok, so God doesn't work on my timetables big surprise. =P No, but God is making everything beautiful in his time, not mine. Do you know how amazing that would be if I actually grasped that? I wouldn't judge self-righteously, I would stop comparing myself to other people, other people to myself, and other people to other people.
Because---
"Because when God makes all things beautiful, they are filled with a loveliness beyond our comprehension. And that’s how it should be."
Yes, it was an amazing article. [or I thought =P]
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