Friendly Advice

*I wrote this post so long ago....but the timing wasn't right to post it then.

But maybe today it's something you need to hear from God as well:

I've learned so much this week.

Or maybe I was just reminded.

That life is much simpler when you think like a child.

No second guessing.

No assumptions.

Just trust.

Several situations were given to me where I was biting my lip, waiting for the drama to unfold.

Times where I was praying for the strength before a confrontation. 

Instances where I thought, this is it....I'm going to have to have one of 'those' talks with someone and need to defend my actions.  The times I could NOT relax at a concert, on a road trip, at a function, because I thought I was being judged, or not living up to an expectation. 

And after I fretted, and avoided the impending conversations or interactions, God blessed me with reassurance.  Gentle pats on the back to say, "See, things are NOT always what they seem."

That phone call I avoided ended up with joyous news, NOT drama and guilt.  The meeting I thought for SURE would end with one or both of us tearing up over misunderstandings....well, it didn't happen.  Because it wasn't needed.  That person never even worried about the situation I had second-guessed.

  But the point is NOT the whos and the wheres of each situation.

It could be ANY situation. 

God took this week and hugged me tightly.

Through a friend He even Commanded me, NOT to dwell on the guilt anymore.

It is not for me to carry the assumptions of others even one step further.

When I do, I miss out on the joy. 

That reassurance that I get from loving and being loved by a miraculous God! 

He has confirmed in my heart that I am loved and meant to love.  That I am now surrounded by SO many genuine relationships that ooze honesty and forthrightness.  Not assumptions and hidden anger.  Just concern for each other, and the ability to build each other up even in the most difficult of circumstance.

And in that way, I was reminded today, of the simplicity of loving like a child. 

For when my daughter saw this little girl without a friend......she held out her hand. 

I don't think she worried about her best friend who was now walking 10 steps ahead of her.  OR for the slide she would not be able to go down with this little girl.  She was content in loving this little person who just happed to need somebody.  No questions asked.  Just loving her!

At that moment I was proud of her and her willingness to reach out.

There would be NO guilt for her to wrestle with...or misunderstandings for her to maneuver.

So this week;

I'm choosing hope and LOVE.  And to let it go.

The shadow of the past will no longer cast itself over my healthy relationships.

I will NOT second guess EVERY. SINGLE. ACTION I make.

Amen?