One of the things I do is coach men through the YourOneDegree® (YOD) process. Part of that process is a Post-It-Note™ timeline. In that exercise you brainstorm all of the significant events in your life and put them on yellow Post-It-Notes™. You then transfer the events or people that were negative to red Post-It-Notes™. You put them on a poster board chronologically and then step back to get perspective and make observations.One of the truths on which YOD is based is the sovereign intentionality of God. That means that there is purpose or reason for all that He does in our life, including those red Post-It-Notes™. One of the questions we ask as coaches is, “What control did you have over that event?” The answer is usually none.
But the other reality is that in many cases it is those red events that are significant turning points in our lives. Bobby Clinton, author of The Making of a Leader
, calls those negative preparation. It is God moving you into another phase of your life.The challenge is that in many cases we do not resolve those reds. We get embittered at what happened or the people involved. I have. One of the messages of the timeline is that we have to trust God’s sovereign intentionality with each of those reds.
We may never understand this side of glory the what or why, but we can trust Him with the event and its outcome. Not to do that, is to remain stuck, immobile, and ineffective.
We get to choose to trust or not to trust.
Couldn't agree more. Hard to do when you're in the midst of trials; easier when you've come through them. But, that's the true test of trust. Will we trust Him even when we're still in the midst of those "negative" times? Will we hang onto his promise that these times are for our good? https://www.bible.com/bible/59/jas.1.2-4.esv.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Brian, I could not agree more. We should learn when we see God take us through them, but sometimes I am a slow learner.
DeleteBy the way all you have to do is put the verse in without the link and it will work. like James 1:2 - 4 (ESV)
It's important to remember that not all of those "reds" are from God, nor even aligned with His will..James 1:13 (NLT)
ReplyDeleteThough He may allow them, and use them for our good, it is important to not accuse Him of causing them or even wanting them to happen to us. Sin and Satan are still at play.
ReplyDeleteIs God sovereign over Satan? Does God use the sin of people for His purposes? Does He know our choices before we make them?
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