Psalm 27:11a "Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path..."
Psalm 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye.
"Earth to Mykaela, Earth to Mykaela, come in Mykaela."
"Mykaela to Earth, I am alive and have no explanations for my absence. Over and out."
:'D
I have not posted a thing on this blog since over a month ago, and I'm feeling a bit bad about that. ;P My humblest apologies to anyone who happens to still be waiting for signs of life from my corner of the universe. ;)
Anyway, today's post is about something that God has been teaching me lately through several different circumstances.
I'm sure you have heard this popular phrase at least once: "Until God opens the next door, praise Him in the hallway." It's a good thought. However, I could never have guessed that sometimes, the hallway can be pretty nice...and that I would become complacently happy just sitting there.
Don't get me wrong, this quote is supposed to encourage contentment, which I totally agree with! However, there is a big difference between contentment and complacency. Contentment says, "I will find joy wherever God has me at the moment, and if and when the time comes where He changes those circumstances, I will follow that leading and find joy in the next situation!" Complacency, on the other hand, says, "This is really nice here. I think I'll just settle right in, get myself some lemonade, and put down some roots. God had better not move me from here, because I like this situation just fine!"
Sometimes, it is easy to sink into this attitude, especially if you've been working on and praying for contentment for a long time, and God has finally taught you that difficult lesson. And yet, it is so important to be able to find joy in wherever God is leading you! Sometimes, when He starts opening doors, even to something good, it can be hard to follow and walk through those doors, because new openings mean change. As I discussed in my last post, change is hard for me, as I think it is for many of us ladies! For me, sometimes I'll see a new opportunity for growth and development open up, and even as I KNOW that it would be a good thing, I resist...simply because I'm happy with the hallway. But wouldn't you know it? God usually doesn't let me stay there too long when He is leading me elsewhere. ;) Also, true to His longsuffering kindness to me, that new door is always, always for the better. It leads places I never could have imagined from my little waiting chair in the hall.
I feel like this post is a little incoherent, but I just want to challenge you today...if God is leading you to pursue new or scary challenges, go for it! You only live one life, the best thing you can do is live it for The Lord! And you never know just how many beautiful, amazing things God will show you through that step of faith. <3
Love,
Mykaela
Good thoughts, Mykaela. Thanks for sharing! I missed your blogging these past few weeks! So glad you're back :)
ReplyDeleteI love the hallway!!! No, your post wasn't incoherent, Mykaela.. I understood it perfectly. (Actually, that very point could be used in an argument for the post BEING incoherent, but oh well.. ;) I am usually the one in the hallway, sitting and sometimes clinging to that waiting chair you mentioned. But I have recently (and oh, so tentatively) stepped into the door that God opened up, and He has blessed me exceedingly for doing do! As much as I loved that hallway, I'm so glad I made the move!! :)
ReplyDeleteOuch! I thought we were friends! ;) But seriously, the hallway is a nice place once we've learned to be content there. And it's REALLY difficult to admit when we need to move on and grow a little bit. Generally when that happens to me, my toes start getting stepped on on Sundays though. Thanks for sharing this toe stomping post. <3
ReplyDeleteAh yes, I agree that there's a huge difference between contentment and complacency, and yet it's easy to either confuse them or else justifiy that your complacency is really contentment. Thanks for the post!
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