Change Me!

Sometimes God whispers. Sometimes He shouts. Sometimes He hits me over the head with a brick in the form of Pastor Jeff.

Pastor is a little...uh...hyperactive. He is easily excited, easily distracted. But when he speaks of faith...his eyes are calm, his manner changes. He believes.

So when I attended the healing service tonight I knew what to expect, or so I thought. But he drew my aside after the service to talk about stewardship and faith and giving and changing hearts.

He said we can pray for a change in the heart of a non-believer. Or a curmudgeon. Or someone who doesn't like us for an unknown reason. We can pray about healing and giving and all sorts of things. We can pray about our place in the world, our relationships. We can ask God to intervene.

More importantly, we should pray about learning to accept what we have, the things God gave us to work with.

I'm no longer asking God to change the will of someone else. They will be the way I want them to be or they won't. They will give of themselves or they won't. I can't change them.

My prayer tonight is "CHANGE ME!"

I can't make my husband or my sons or anyone else I care deeply about to come around to my way of thinking. I've known this all along, of course, but sometimes it takes someone else to put my head on straight.

Change me, Lord. Show me what has to be done. Make me the kind of woman that will be strong and full of faith, so much faith that it shines like a beacon. Make me generous and wise, funny and smart. 

Change me into what you want me to be and put me where I belong. Make my words touch stubborn hearts. Give me back the joy of living. Let me see the better parts of life and teach me to accept pain of any kind as a learning experience.

I can't change the things that bug me about family or friends. I can only accept everyone as they are and leave the change of heart to you, Lord.

LORD, CHANGE ME!