Nougat 2

Recently, I found myself complaining a lot about the same thing over and over again. I wasn’t the only one doing that, and I guarantee you it was justified. It got to the point where I was tired of complaining, so I complained about complaining. Hmmn. Been there? I invite you to hold this kind of situation in mind as we read and reflect on today’s Holy Nougat

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, I want to extend what happened to revisit our authority as children of God. A child who is loved by the parents, knows that the parents’ priority is that child’s welfare. Especially within reason. He/she is unlikely to question whether the parent will come through for certain things regardless of a delay in the plan. And, some things are a given – not so much taken for granted, as it is understood to materialize.

When the parent is God, we receive material, physiological, physical, mental, and spiritual gifts to address our life needs. Our Nougat further said that Love, Power and a Sound Mind are ours for the using. Yet, we often fail to receive those gifts in sticky situations. Let’s revisit the opening situation.

Yes the situation was sticky

Did I have tools/gifts to help myself

Yes, I have and had the tools

Did I use the tools/gifts?

No I didn’t

Love should have prevented the first word of complaint. I obviously couldn’t see my siblings in the situation.

Power, that is appropriate use of power would use my parent’s influence to change things.

A Sound Mind would find me seeking God’s face for a working solution instead of being critical and doing nothing to help.

So what was in the way?

Well, the nougat says it was fear!

Doesn’t add up, does it?

Until we recognize that our first response is and was prayer.

I began to wonder what could happen had I prayed. Well, aside from the ‘solution’ being found, it would be easier to see the ‘problem’ as a glitch rather than ‘those’ people. I might even have responded with Love. I might have used my spiritual gifts to influence transformation; for there’s Power that accompanies those gifts. And, if insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting the outcome to change – as a complainer, I obviously wasn’t operating with a Sound Mind.

Could it be that I was afraid to be transformed by Love?

Was I fearful that my Abba, my El Shaddai (the Many-Breasted One) would not provide for my needs?

Did I doubt the spiritual acuity to do God’s right?

In short, do we trust God to be God in sticky moments?

Hmmn, I hadn’t thought of fear in this way until confronted with my truth. How different things will be when I apply this to the next situation I face, sticky or otherwise. Perhaps it will also be different for you.

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May all we seek be found in Christ