There are miracles you carry like a huge pregnancy! The gift is so big that it requires a divine surgical intervention to bring it into this world. God does not always need your energy for the delivery, he wants your commitment to the process. Sometimes he needs you to go under anaesthesia until he brings your gift into this world so that he can then return it right back you. He does not always want you to go into labor for hours and hours and push the baby out naturally and be on your way back home in two days. He does not always want to take that risk with you. See, during delivery there is always room for unexpected complications. The good thing about God is that he can see through you and determine in advance whether you still really have the energy for a successful delivery.

Have you ever felt attached to the end result? That is what keeps us going, right? What if I were to remind again that the outcome is never guaranteed! The success you have in mind might actually looks very different in reality. The joy you envision feeling at the end of the road might end up being loneliness. The people you envision being there to celebrate with you might actually become too occupied with their own challenge to notice? What do you do then? Also, have you ever heard about great plans with bad delivery? The wrong presentation of a wonderful project can lose its complete integrity!

Let’s apply this also in the context of human interaction and conflict. I read 2Thessalonians 3 this week, where Paul was advising his friends on how to behave around certain crowd. He provided them recommendation for the process, but then he said in the last verse of the chapter that he will pray so that God give them internal peace. This led me to think that your internal peace is not necessarily in the resolution of your conflict. In verse 6, he advised them to withdraw from any brothers who is misbehaving. In verse 14-15 he emphasised “do not associate with them, but do not consider them as enemy. Exhort them like brother. ” Then in verse 16, he said “may the Lord give you peace in all circumstance.”

We often attach all of our energy and emotions to the end result, when this is not always within our control. Exhorting, dissociating or solving a conflict with our brothers and sisters do not guarantee us internal peace because we can resolve/forgive, but the mind does not forget. Only God can restore the human heart to give it a fresh and clean start. So LET GO OF THE OUTCOME! Sometimes you have to give it everything you can and then wash your hands with the outcome. It is not an easy thing to do because we are wired to want to control every aspect of our lives. But the sooner we can give up that control, the more prepared we are for whatever is coming next! This is not a pessimistic perspective, it is a realistic and spiritual one. If peace of mind, happiness, serenity are some of the things that you are aiming for, then you can start by letting go of the delusion that you have any sort of control over the future.

Do your best, focus on the process and let God decides the finished product. Simple, but not easy. But hey, if you are enjoying the journey, the rest does not really matter. If it fails, then you can have the peace of mind that you have given it all that you have and that it was not God’s will for your life. You will then take this as an opportunity to ask God about his plan for you and keep following each of the signs until you get to where you are supposed to be. But if you do succeed, make sure that you still keep your eyes fixated on God for validation and stability.

Peace & Love,

LT.