Open Doors and Closed Doors Part 2

"Surrender means that we cannot choose what we do or what we don't do. Surrender means that we cannot choose where to live, or who our friends will be, or how our time is spent. It means that we consult God about everything!"

Read the rest of part 1 here.

...There is also the matter of allowing God to choose our friends.

When our children were little, I accepted a part-time job teaching kindergarten. For several years my life was so caught up int it that I had little time to connect with old friends. Then the day came when I left my job and once again became a full-time mom.

I decided to ask God to choose my friends for me. I prayed and promised Him that anyone who reached out to me, I would respond to. However, I would not make the first move. I would trust Him to orchestrate the friendships He had in mind that could be to His honor and glory. That was one of the most interesting summers ever! Completely new people came into my life, and the relationships were fascinating! They covered the socioeconomic span from one extreme to the other. I found it so rewarding that to this day I have continued to open my life to the relationships God brings my way. That is where my efforts and focus lie.

Amazing surprises have come my way, and I have been spared much disappointment and heartache. It is not unusual for people who are involved in ministry to feel slighted and left out, even within their own churches. Special groups or cliques, if you will, form. Those who lead in ministry often find that they are not included, and it leads to loneliness and discouragement. Asking God to choose my friends has taken away all of that sadness. I speak from experience.

Some years ago, a group was formed made up of women I considered to be good friends. I respected and admired them, and I heard they were meeting on a regular basis. However, I was not invited to join their group. There was a time when I would have been terribly disappointed. However, I can honestly say that there was none of that. What I felt was a sense of interest and excitement to see how God would bless their group, and curiosity to see who God would put me into relationships with.

Here is a picture from my latest birthday celebration and as you can see God has indeed blessed my richly with many amazing friendships!

When we are following Him even our time is not our own. We have only one life to live, and a limited number of days are allowed to us.

We all know people who are being used by God in every arena imaginable. There are countless ways in which God can use the hours of each day to bring honor and glory to His name. We need to be sensitive to His leading!

What else must we surrender? We must surrender our losses... to be continued...