Lord, you have brought me through so many storms and disappointments. I’ve always felt your peace running the theater. Forgive me for lashing out at Nora. Forgive me for being so tied to this wonderful building that I forgot to focus on you and the people who mean so much to me. Lord, show me what’s next for the theater, and I will follow. Give me the words and the actions to make things right with Nora and Eve. Father, give Nora the encouragement she needs to deal with Eve. And Lord, I do pray for Eve to continue to settle into her new life here. Thank you that no one was hurt in the fire. Amen.
Jim had begun his prayer looking at the mangled building. By the time he said amen, his head was bowed, his eyes were closed, and complete peace had washed over him.
This is one of my favorite moments in my latest book, Designs for Nora. Jim is the artistic director at the community theater. He put his heart and soul into reviving and keeping it thriving. It was his love, his life, and a lot of his identity. Spoiler alert: In the book, there’s a fire at the theater. The prayer above is prayed the day after the fire, and after a pretty big fight with his girlfriend.
I love how he begins his prayer, looking at the physical evidence of his misplaced priorities, but as with many prayers, somewhere in the middle, the Holy Spirit got a hold of his heart, and by the end, he bowed his humble heart to God.
How many times do we do the same thing? We go about life, be it during the highs or lows, thinking we’ve got this. We don’t stop to surrender our hearts and our lives to God. The Bible tells us in James to, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
You could fill in the word devil, with any temptation or prideful thought. Resist saying, “Don’t worry, #God, I can handle today.” Seriously? How many times have you started your day in a great mood, ready to roll, only to hit a wall of unrealistic expectations from a boss, or disrespect from a co-worker? We need something more than our pride, anger, and frustration. We need wisdom, and the best wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit. But first, we have to #surrender our #hearts and all the activities of the day.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
I’m guilty of Sunday evening retrospectives and Monday morning fresh starts, only to forget it all on Tuesday, or Wednesday, or worse, before I get to lunch on Monday.
A couple of weeks ago, I reignited my writing goals for the year. Today, I’m reigniting my daily surrender to God and His plan not for my life, but for each of the days that make up the life path He’s put me on.
Care to join me?
KK
KK's Candor 