I was convicted recently (another way of saying the Holy Spirit spoke to me in His wisdom) that my "I can't waits" are not something that bring honor to God. Quite the opposite, in fact. They do not come from an attitude he has called me to have. I see it now as a way of saying, "God, this plan you've come up for me now, in the present . . . well, I don't like it. I've got a plan for myself that I see in the future that I basically want now."
Often, if I'm very honest with myself, that IS exactly how I feel. I'm not that happy in the now, in the present situation He has given me. But that's just it. HE, the Great I Am, the Lord of the universe, the one who loves me and has chosen me to live forever with Him in Heaven after this breath of life on earth is over-- yes, He is the one who has given me the present. I am to live in it with joy and thanksgiving. This God who "holds everything together by the power of His word"(Hebrews 1:3) has called me to "rejoice in the Lord always." (Philippians 4:4) The New Living Translation phrases the same verse in an even more challenging way: "Always be full of joy in the Lord."
Rejoicing in the Lord most definitely includes praising and thanking Him for what His omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent hands have given me. My daily portion comes from the One who formed me in the womb and who has made every cell in me since. I can rest and trust Him to not just number my days but direct the activities and occurrences of each one that passes.
Where lies the biggest challenge for me is having the "mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16b) Truly to accept with joy God's purpose and intentions for my life by faith. To be able to say to God, as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
As I again read the verse from 1 Corinthians, it says "we have the mind of Christ." It is in the present, a state of being as the Holy Spirit lives in and through us. Even so, there stands my sinful, worldly nature that incessantly seeks to make more of myself than of God, of my wife, of my children-- of all others. It continues to seek to wedge itself in between my Biblical understanding of how God should reign by His Spirit in my life and the actual words, actions, and thoughts that are my life's fruit.
Pride-- the source of every other sin-- seeks to make ME great and God small, even nonexistent. Pride tells me that my plans are so much better than what God might come up with. What a ridiculous and preposterous thing to say or think, yet how often do I live with just that exact posture?
God's plans for me in the present, in the NOW, in the future, are good and for His glory, not mine. That's how it should be. That is not at all to say that I will be happy about each one of those plans. I really am struggling with having joy in the midst of a houseful of quintuplets. It is not infrequently that I ask God, "Why did you choose me for this?" It is an ok question, if asked with Mary's humility. All too often I phrase it with Sarah's untrusting attitude.
I wonder how long it took for the disciples to be able to leave the Sanhedrin honestly "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (Acts 5:41) It is my prayer
that I can have such an attitude. That can only come from the Holy Spirit as I trust in Him and in His strength.
Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my children. They are beautiful, priceless gifts from God and I thank Him for them every day. Yet my pride gets in the way. Lord, work in and through me for your glory.
Gavin
And now for the obligatory photo.
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| The quints in their natural habitat, all with looks on their faces that pretty accurately reflect their individual personalities. |
Yes, will pray that God will bless you with LOTS of patience!! You have 5 wonderful babies that need more care than most of can imagine. You have a wonderful family, and friends for support. Priorities right now are very mundane things, done over and over and over. But those babies will appreciate the nurturing as they grow up. Have a great week. Phyllis
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Gavin, one we can all relate to whether our "present" involves a household of quints or not.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder that we need to be thankful in our "present" situation. I continue to pray for patience, wisdom, guidance, and down time for you all. I just came from a very stressful couple of years and here I am complaining that my life seems like there is nothing going on. I need to look around and be thankful for what is going on right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks again Gavin and Carrie for using your current situation to egg us on to thinking about our current situation.
Debbie Miller
Your present is not like you envisioned it, with God's "presents" gift-wrapped in five little baby bodies, and Isaac and Carrie, all needing your attention. So, you certainly do have a full plate, Gavin, and I don't think anyone could can blame you for protesting a bit!
ReplyDeletePretty typical of us humans - when we get the plate that God hands us, we just want to say, "I'll have the dessert, please!" But, God in His wisdom, has a lot to feed us, and He may continue to give us even more, until sometimes we think the plate is overflowing, and we weren't that hungry anyway, so "No, thanks, Lord", we'd rather not have that extra helping. But, then we remember that God is holding that plate with us, and His Hands will not let it spill over the side, or slip from our hands, we can somehow muddle through and take that extra helping and feel blessed by it. In His Mercy, He will feed you and hold you and care for you, and love you beyond measure as you do the same for your beautiful family. Two great Fathers! NKL
why should the tax payers of Texas have to foot the bill for your children. you chose fertility treatments not us. you knew the possibility of multiple births from said treatments even though you knew you could not afford it. you are irresponsible to say the least. what are you teaching your kids? do what ever they want with no regard for anyone else. if god wanted you to have these kids you would not have needed fertility treatments. take take take...what do you give????
ReplyDeleteI do understand your frustrations and your comments. They are far from fully informed. Not all the stories you've read about the quintuplets or heard about them on the radio are accurate, especially concerning Medicare. The taxpayers of Texas are not footing the bill for our children. We have insurance coverage and pay for it every month. We pay taxes ourselves and have contributed yearly to Social Security over the years, so the small amount our one child has cost through Medicare, we have paid for previously through our own taxes.
DeleteI could also go into the medical 'mistake" that led to the quintuplets, aside from just the fertility shots, but i won't-- that just reinforces the fact of God's sovereignty.
Gavin, that is so true of all of us....Thank-you for for being honest enough to say and write it ,, so all will realize how our human nature is...and HOW MUCH WE NEED JESUS OUR SAVIOR,,,,saying YES to his will is very very hard at times, but,," For I Know The Plans I Have For You,declares the Lord,,,Plans to Prosper You and not harm You..Plans To Give You Hope and A Future"...Jeremiah..29:11 Also, Our thought are not his thoughts.....
ReplyDeleteAlso God Wants our Honesty ...By admitting how we feel is the first step in accepting and surrendering,,,,As My Therapist would say....ANYONE walking in your shoes would feel the same way....I Pray for you and your Family... You are witnessing to many people of what you have been through,, and are going through...and How Faithful and trusting to God....It may not be the same work you had But You and your Family are working for God in a BIG way now....God Bless From Dayton Ohio..... .
I forgot Have you listened to any music of the Christian group MercyMe,,,, You can hear them on you tube... It's excellent:)
ReplyDeleteYes, we really enjoy/appreciate them!
DeleteCarrie
Gavin, Thanks for being transparent, kind, full of grace and honest. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your heart and being transparent on a topic we have all dealt with. Sorry didn't get to see you all and the quints when I was in Dallas. But so glad you all got a vacation.
ReplyDeleteEstella
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ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as a mom! Thank you for the encouragement today! Bless you!
ReplyDeleteDon't let the ney-sayers who comment get you down. God used your post in my life today. Gotta run the twins are up. And your children will be blessed by your faith.
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