A Hard, Honest Look
Joe Principato / Video/Lighting Tech and Audio Assistant
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| Photo by Ben Karpinski on Unsplash |
Some time has passed since I’ve last written one of these things, and much has happened. Even taking stock of all that has happened from July until now, it’s very hard to see anything encouraging for me personally. But despite my grim outlook, I am constantly reminded that God is here with me. He hasn’t been “on my side,” or perhaps it’s better said that I’m not always on His. But I can confidently say that He is with me.
If I take a hard, honest look at my life at present, the constant thread I see is that of assumption. Every time God has asked me to move, I have always been very quick to try and dissect the reason or motivation behind the command. I say to myself, “If I know the reason behind the command, then I’ll be better equipped to follow.” Other times, God has blessed me in some way, and I’m just as quick to assume what the blessing could be possibly for. This has gotten me into trouble time and time again. I say trouble intentionally, because I mean actual trouble. Whether it be with God, with others, or with myself, my assumptions or better said, my will, has gotten in the way of what God wants to do with me and those around me.
I recently watched a sermon from Tony Evans titled “Stop Blocking Your Miracle.” In it, Tony preaches on the raising of Lazarus from John 11. He speaks of how Martha, when presented with the command “roll away the stone” from Jesus, she questions his command saying “but, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Jesus could have moved the stone himself if he wanted, and afterwards he could have unwrapped Lazarus from his death cloths, but he didn’t. Jesus was waiting on those who claimed His lordship to assist him in the miracle.
How many times has my own foolishness, selfishness, and pride gotten in the way of what God wanted to do in the moment? How long has God been waiting for me to just “move the stone” instead of questioning or assuming His plan? Anyone who knows me knows that this past year ended with massive amounts of pain and heartache. But if I take a hard, honest look at the causes of that pain, I’d find that at every turn and intersection, I chose to do what I assumed, what I thought was right, and followed my will instead of God’s.
To whomever is reading this, I beg and plead with you, seek Him first. Don’t analyze, don’t assume, don’t question; just seek Him. Oftentimes He won’t tell you the reasons why, it’s not our place to know. But if we’d only seek, listen, and obey His commands, we would find our lives to be not only easier, but more joy-filled as well.
Love you Church,
-Joe
If I take a hard, honest look at my life at present, the constant thread I see is that of assumption. Every time God has asked me to move, I have always been very quick to try and dissect the reason or motivation behind the command. I say to myself, “If I know the reason behind the command, then I’ll be better equipped to follow.” Other times, God has blessed me in some way, and I’m just as quick to assume what the blessing could be possibly for. This has gotten me into trouble time and time again. I say trouble intentionally, because I mean actual trouble. Whether it be with God, with others, or with myself, my assumptions or better said, my will, has gotten in the way of what God wants to do with me and those around me.
I recently watched a sermon from Tony Evans titled “Stop Blocking Your Miracle.” In it, Tony preaches on the raising of Lazarus from John 11. He speaks of how Martha, when presented with the command “roll away the stone” from Jesus, she questions his command saying “but, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Jesus could have moved the stone himself if he wanted, and afterwards he could have unwrapped Lazarus from his death cloths, but he didn’t. Jesus was waiting on those who claimed His lordship to assist him in the miracle.
How many times has my own foolishness, selfishness, and pride gotten in the way of what God wanted to do in the moment? How long has God been waiting for me to just “move the stone” instead of questioning or assuming His plan? Anyone who knows me knows that this past year ended with massive amounts of pain and heartache. But if I take a hard, honest look at the causes of that pain, I’d find that at every turn and intersection, I chose to do what I assumed, what I thought was right, and followed my will instead of God’s.
To whomever is reading this, I beg and plead with you, seek Him first. Don’t analyze, don’t assume, don’t question; just seek Him. Oftentimes He won’t tell you the reasons why, it’s not our place to know. But if we’d only seek, listen, and obey His commands, we would find our lives to be not only easier, but more joy-filled as well.
Love you Church,
-Joe