Written By: Lucy Thompson
I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly grateful for all of the imperfect people that God has used for His purposes. There are so many great examples of imperfect people who were used for His perfect plan in the Bible. I’m currently doing a Bible Study on David (Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur), and I am learning so much! I’ll be honest; I had never understood before why David was so special or thought of so highly in the Bible. I’m finally starting to get it, though. He truly was a man who went looking for God in everything he did. Was he perfect? No way! Thank goodness he wasn’t because that would be bad news for you and me!
One particular story keeps coming to mind. In 1 Chronicles 14:9-16, David had just become king of all of Israel, and the Philistines were not happy about it and started attacking and raiding the people of Israel. David heard about what was going on, and before he did absolutely anything, he prayed and sought God’s will on what to do. This happened over and over again, and each time, David would pray, then act. He believed in God, he heard God speaking to him, and David obeyed. He put his belief in God into action and obeyed.
That story feels especially applicable to me when it comes to parenting. My kids bicker with each other constantly, they moan about chores or homework, they talk back, and the list goes on. I completely lose my mind and my temper when it’s been a long day of utter disrespect toward either me or one other. The story of King David got me thinking because when I lose my temper with my kids, I’m not putting my trust in God and allowing Him to work through me in these situations, these battles, in my home. The realization that I’m not walking in faith breaks my heart. I’ve learned that I need to be more like King David, and I need to remember to pause what I’m doing and pray. I need to seek God’s will in that moment of frustration and anger and use it as a teaching moment for my whole family.
Pause and Pray.
I recently had the opportunity to use what I’ve been learning. I found out that my daughter had signed my name onto a form for school. It wasn’t anything super important (thankfully), but the fact that we’d already talked about forgery and she lied and was being sneaky; that’s what set me off. I was really angry with her. Before we talked, I remembered to Pause and Pray. I asked God to be with me during our conversation, to give me the words to say and for both of us to be calm. As always, God showed up. We had a long discussion about the importance of trying to do better because God gave us His perfect Son, who died for us when He didn’t have to. We should strive to do better even when it’s difficult.
I pray she will remember our conversation and choose to do the right thing next time. And I hope that I can remember that these hard times are so much better when I pray first and seek God’s guidance. I want to be a woman after God’s heart.
Pause and Pray.
Pause and Pray.
Pause and Pray.
Maybe that will sink in.
Written By: Lucy Thompson
