Smacks May Be Needed

Sometimes it's really easy for my to put my faith in God and know that when things happen in my life, it's for a reason. It may take a while to figure out exactly what the reason was, but eventually I see it. I know that when God does things, it's for the better. To force you into choices or decisions that you need to make.

But then there are times when I don't see a reason at all. Times when the things that happen don't seem like they happened for any reasonl. He just did it because... well... he's God and he can! He has that control and power to make things happen when he wants, the way he wants.

I haven't quite grasped this concept yet, but I'm hoping that in time I will. What concept, you may ask? That sometimes, you need a full blown smack in the face to make you realize certain things. My wise mother walked me through this one... God gives you signs and hints, and makes things happen along the way to help you realize what choices you need to make. Or maybe, to help you figure out how to live a happy life. He tries to show you "the way." But sometimes (maybe, most of the time) people don't listen to these subtle hints/clues. And God can only throw so much your way until he tells himself "Alright she's not getting it. Time to pull out the big guns." And at that point, what happens may be, as I said, a full blown smack in the face. It sucks. It can be heartbreaking. It can send you into a whirlwind of emotion. But he does it for a reason, right? Probably because you didn't listen to all those hints He had previously given you. He needed to do something BIG in order to force you in the right direction. And believe me, you may not like that "big something" he throws your way.

So here's my take on it: listen to God the first time. If not, then at least the second time. Because if it gets to be the third, fourth, maybe even fifth time, you're not going to like what He does. He has a plan for everyone. He has a plan for me. I just needed a good old "ass-whooping" to help me realize what that plan is.

Now the hard part... taking the steps in the right direction to follow His plan. It's not going to be easy. Actually, it's probably going to be really hard. Making certain changes in life are difficult to stick to. But I suppose that if you put your faith in God, and listen to him, and do what you know needs to be done then it gets a little easier. I hope...