I used to think Mom had a direct line to God. I can't begin to list the number of times she came up with what appeared to be a random answer that was the perfect fix to my problem. Whenever I had a challenge her first question for me was, "Have you prayed about it?" More often than not the answer was "no," but you'd better believe her reminder made the difference.
I asked her once when I was a young teenager, "How do you know if the answer you are getting is coming from Heavenly Father or if it's just coming from inside yourself? How can I know it's the spirit talking to me and not just what I want?" She taught me a beautiful lesson on prayer then, one that I continue to use and will for the remainder of my life.
She said, "Make your decision prayerfully, then once you've decided what you feel is best for the situation, kneel back down and tell the Lord what you've decided. Say, 'If this is wrong, no matter how bad I want it, please close the door, but if it's right, please open a window and let it come to pass.'" It takes the worry out of decisions for me. It lets me make the decision with his guidance, but then allows me to put it back in His hands so that His will can be done.
The biggest challenge for me has always been trusting Him to let it happen-or not-once the decision has been made, but Mom's faith taught me that lesson too. You just have to keep moving forward and trust that, as Mom used to say, "The Lord won't drop you down a big, black hole. He may let you get awfully close to the edge at times, might even let you lean out over that hole, but he's got a safety harness on you. You've just got to trust Him."
The scripture on this lesson is one I've heard a million times over my life, but stands as a great reminder to me on a daily basis:
"Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
6 comments:
Karen,
Your love for your mother shows through in all of these posts and really helps me feel an appreciation for my mom as well. Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful lessons.
Karen,
I wish I could have met your mother. She sounds like a wonderful person.
I just posted one of my favorite lessons from my mother.
Thanks Donna! She really was more than Mom-she was my best friend too. I miss her so much, but at least I've got all these amazing things she taught me that are now a part of me. She gets to live on through me in some small way.
Marta, I'm so glad you decided to join us! I wish you could have met her too. She would have loved you, I just know it.
I'm attempting...I'll just do it in one day...grin. Thanks
Thank you, Karen, for this beautiful post. It's just what I needed today.
Love this post. Your mom sounds like she was a remarkable woman.
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