Life's Hard Lessons

Over the past several years, it feels like nothing goes according to plan for my family. Vanessa has endured soccer tryout disappointments year after year and continues to deal with lingering symptoms from a brain injury suffered during a “friendly” soccer scrimmage. More recently, Jake suffered the embarrassment of not being placed on any of team during baseball tryouts. For me personally, it has been five years now of working through the disappointment of an “organizational change.” Thankfully, I am employed and able to provide for my family but the circumstances surrounding my job change were less than desirable. Since then, I have gone through many ups and downs as I try to make sense of my circumstances. I have asked myself many times, “What does God want me to learn?” Certainly, I have eaten a big helping of “humble pie” and so has my family. So, why do we continuously suffer through the same disappointments?

Each time, as we approach another potentially disappointing situation, we go to God and ask[1] but we rarely get what we are asking for. Of course, we end each of those prayers with the customary “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”[2] So once again, why do we continuously suffer through the same disappointments? Have we still not learned the life lesson? Or is there something else God is trying to tell us?

Maybe, just maybe, we are asking for the wrong things. As I was thinking about all of this recently, the story of Jonah came to mind for me. I know there are many differences between my circumstances and the story of Jonah but hear me out. God asked Jonah to complete a task, what exactly he was supposed to do is irrelevant to my point. The point is Jonah was not doing what God asked him to do so God controlled the circumstances surrounding Jonah until he eventually started following God’s plan for him.  There are two main differences between the story of Jonah and my family. First, Jonah knew exactly what God wanted him to do. Second, Jonah intentionally ran away from God’s plan for him. As far as me and my family goes, it feels like we need to answer the first question first… What exactly is God’s plan for us? There’s only one way to find out, going to God first and waiting on Him for answers.

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[1] Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

[2] Matthew 6:9-10 “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”