We are often trapped into thinking there is only one way. There’s only one option. There is no way to go around the temptations, the frustrations, the inconveniences, the difficulties, the daily stressors, the relational issues, the habits, the diet failures, the addictions, and the hasty words.
I am often stuck thinking there’s no way to solve the drama that I caused when I said thoughtless words. When I was impatient instead of calm. When I was demanding instead of gracious.
I’ve made my bed, now I have to sleep in it.
You’ve buttered your bed, now lie in it. (What kind of weird expression is that anyway?)
Yet, there is always an other way to go, to completely turn things on their head. To turn things around.
The other way is to repent. To go the other way.
“I’m sorry, I was impatient. I interrupted you. I didn’t listen when you were trying to explain. Please help me understand.”
“I’m sorry, God, I am trying to handle this my own way. You know what you’re doing. Help me let you be God.”
There is another perspective to take when the traffic map is red all the way home, and you can either get frustrated or you can endure with peace, knowing God knows the timing and the result and when you’ll get there.
There’s another way to look at your responsibilities and your job and your coworkers, than obligations–they are a gift, and entrusted to you to bring peace and hope in daily doses.
There’s another way to grieve when disaster strikes and the earth is pulled out from under your feet. Hope is not lost, though it can be misplaced and sometimes a drastic shift forces grappling with the source and the object of our hope. Is it on something temporal or something unshifting?
There is a temptation to try to do things right. The conscience can give guidance as to right and wrong. But even when we’re wrong, the desire to still be right is powerful. We are especially apt to try to justify our own right-ness to God.
But the cross brought us the only way.
Can I choose to trust that Jesus’ other way of right-ness is enough?
[bctt tweet=”The will to win is ingrained in us. We are apt to try to justify our right-ness to God. But the cross brought us the only way. Can I choose to trust that Jesus’ other way of right-ness is enough? ” username=”cindymchen”]
The other way is trusting, laying down our preferences, our rights and our right-ness, and taking up gentleness, humility, and faith–faith that brings righteousness. It requires faith that his obedience and his sacrifice–the cross coupled with the unfailing promises of God and the mighty, comforting power of the Holy Spirit, will transform what is happening by his own presence with us.
The other way is to bring almighty God into every situation. Not to manage them myself, but to bring the entirely Other One into every moment.
~ Cindy
This link up is with Five Minute Friday. The prompt was “OTHER” and the challenge is five minutes of free writing. I can’t help myself: I can’t post without a few minutes of working after. There’s always a little more than what I can get out before the timer stops!
Here are the “other” writers bringing encouragement today.
Wise words, Cindy! The other, countercultural way of the cross is always best for us, instead of following our natural inclinations to their own damaging conclusions. Yet we often forget to let go of our own way and repent. Thank you for reminding us here.
Thank you for visiting. Have a blessed weekend!
Yes! It’s so important to look for the other way and different perspectives because there always is. Thanks for sharing!
Cindy, I laughed at your “buttered your bed” expression because I say that too, except I say “You buttered your bread; now you have to lie in it.” Either way it doesn’t make much sense but I like it! 😀
I like the rest of your post, too, because of its reminder that there is not only one way — the way of self-effort and control – but there is also God’s way of obedience and surrender, and that’s the better way. Thanks for your post.
Jeannie (#53 in this week’s FMF linkup)