All Or Nothing

Today, I was watching a DVD for a class I am taking and the counselor was talking about chronically troubled relationships. One of the types has trouble with an “all or nothing” type of thinking. I think this can apply to many of us these days. Let me share some examples. A problem or situation comes up in your life and/or family. What do you do? Do you ask God to take it away or fix it somehow? It’s not that we shouldn’t ask God to helps us or our family get through it, and yes, sometimes relieve them of the pressure or situation, but we need to be mindful of what our attitude is when we pray. What is God’s will in it? What might God want to teach through this? What about a challenge that comes your way? Do you ask God to not give you the challenge and get upset because it’s there, or do you ask Him for grace for you to go through the challenge? See, I think that sometimes we either expect life to be mostly good or nothing at all; certainly not challenges, problems, illness or troubles. No one is going to ASK for them. But with them, God wants us to be have a life in balance over all. That doesn’t mean that we will never have the valleys and live only on the mountain top. It means that He will walk along side us through the valleys to the top of that experience where we can learn His love, mercy, grace and overwhelming forgiveness of our doubts.

Life is on a continuum. It is some of both! It takes the challenges to move us forward sometimes. It takes the problems in order for other things to come to the surface or come out in order to be dealt with. It takes the troubles for us to realize that God is there ALL the time and that He wants to teach us how to go through. Not just go through, but to come out on the other end of the fiery trials and not even smell like smoke! Oh how I love that thought. I may be hopping over the coals as I go through the fire, but I will come out on the other side and not even smell like smoke! Amazing!

Life is lived by balance. I want to have that balance in my live. I don’t want an all or nothing mentality. I want to see God working in spite of and for my circumstances. He is gracious to bring me out. He gives me teachable moments. Am I willing to learn? Willing to listen? Am I willing to have the nothing sometimes in order to have the ALL later? Are you?