Do u ever order dinner with a friend and wish you would have ordered what they did , the item that looked so appealing to you now looks dull and dissatisfying . Or when you are eating dinner, and you see the table next to you eating their dessert, all of a sudden you cant wait to be finished eating dinner so you can hurry and get your dessert.
This relates so prominently to my relationship with God, and here is a recent example of how.
Getting accepted to the world race was everything I had been praying for a year prior to my acceptance. When I got done with the interview they asked if I would be willing to stay single from the time I got accepted until the time I returned home. I quickly responded with heck yes. I couldn't think of anything better than to travel the world with a bunch of believers, I was willing to sacrifice anything. I thought that it would be a piece of cake to be single for a year. I was wrong, this became a huge stumbling block for me. It's so funny to me the way life works, it's like when I'm available and single looking for a man to pursue me,they are no where to be found. But the second I make a commitment to be single they come out of the woodworks.
In the beginning it was easy to stay faithful, somewhere in the mix I lost my focus, and now desired something different. Two months before the race I had put my shield down and boom I met a great guy, a guy who was straight to the point, ready to pursue me with no games attached. I now had conflicting desires, both good, but I had to choose one or the other. The delicious meal (the race) was now something i had contemplated on exchanging for a bowl of ice cream (pursuing a relationship) instead. I remember asking God why is life like this? Why do I meet a great guy two months before I leave?
For a moment I had started disliking the dream I had been given. The blessing I had once been thankful for I started to see as a curse. It was then that God reminded me that I did not have to go on the world race. He could easily use someone else who really wanted to go. God was not forcing me to go on the race, it was a gift that He had given me because I had asked for it. If i wanted to exchange it to date someone instead, I could, but I would be missing out on so many great blessings He had in store for me, He asked me if I would be willing to wait and trust Him. To be a woman who truly fears Him, instead of one who fears the things of this world.
I am so incredibly thankful that He gave me the strength to say no to my fleshly desires, and to say yes to surrendering all to Him. As I only have one month left I the race I couldn't imagine if I would have chosen to skip straight to the dessert. I would have missed out on so many of the blessings God has given me this past ten months, and my taste buds wouldn't have been satisfied.
As this blog comes to a closing I want to leave you with this analogy that God gave me on the way to China that correlates with Psalm 78.It is called the five course meal:
As my best friend Katie and I were leaving China on a bus, we had just finished talking about Psalm 78, which talks about the Israelites and how God had given them their desires and before they were finished they were asking for something else. God had given them manna from heaven, but they had demand and tested God with the desires and cravings they had. Here are the two verses that completely convicted us :
Psalm 78:18 They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved.
Psalm 78:22 For they did not believe God or trust him to care for them.
My interpretation for this Verse: The Five Course Meal
God prepares this elaborate meal for us, a meal that consists of appetizers, a salad, a delicious entree, an impeccable dessert, followed with a nice cup of coffee to finish of the meal just right. Imagine sitting there while you indulge in your shrimp cocktail, and Caesar salad and all of a sudden you look over to the table that is just receiving their dessert. This introduction to your meal, now gets shortened and you order your waiter to get you your dessert, you no longer want to indulge in the rest of the entrees you just cant wait another second. But once you finish your dessert you now have a stomach ache and are not satisfied because the dessert was never intended to take the place of a meal.
This is a lot of times like the instances that you know you are supposed to wait on the Lord, but you don't trust Him and take matters into your own hands. Or you don't have the self control and indulge carelessly not thinking twice about it. When you choose this, you often find a life that is still good, but its not as good as it could be, because each season you are in you always want something else. Contentment seems to be far and unattainable. God will still bless you but you are missing out on receiving the full blessings He has for you, a life of satisfaction in Him, and are often left with a belly ache, and a craving for more
If you would fight the urge to skip to dessert, and indulge in every part of the five course meal, you will be overflowing with a richness that will outweigh a dessert alone. Your taste buds are fired up, and you are so well taken care of you cant help but desire to share with everyone around you. No belly ache here, just one that is filled and satisfied.
I pray that you would take each item served to you and truly enjoy it, to take each season as it comes, to be thankful for all circumstances and to trust Gods hand and timing in your life. I pray that you would be able to live a life of contentment and satisfaction 🙂 ! Enjoy each items of the five course meal God has prepared you :)!
Bon Appetit!
XOXO
Amie Gallegos
