Awe - No thanks!

Dear Heavenly Father! I just read the account once again about the night before you going to the cross for me and for all man-kind. I am just amazed at what you have done! I was reading from Mark 14 when you asked that Your Daddy - You called Him Abba, meaning Daddy, only time you ever called Him that - to take this task away and not go through with it all. But then you added "not Your will, but HIS will be done"! Lord, I am just amazed that you could have just walked right away. You could have picked up your things, dusted off your face from the drops of blood resulted from the huge amount of stress you were enduring, woke up your "praying" friends, called down the angels for a rescue, and just said, "Awe - no thanks, I'll pass on this time!" But no, You did not budge at all! Only You could have done that for us all, but then again only You could have called it all off!

I love the fact that you did ask to not have to do it. By example you are showing me that I have the right to respectfully speak my thoughts and disagreements to You, letting you know how I do not think "so and so" is a good idea, BUT then respectfully fall right back in line with Your will! Oh thank you Lord for your freedom. I see lots of freedom in this passage! I have freedom to speak with you and ask question - I am not told to just hush up! I have freedom in making the choice. You very clearly have shown me over and over in my life that I have choice to walk in Your will or to choose my own thing. I wonder how many times I have walked away not knowing I was choosing not to follow and how many times i have deliberately chosen to say "Awe- No thanks". I know it has been way more than I would like to know.

But I think for myself and for many ladies, it is not the big things that cripple us in decision. I mean I am sure deciding to follow the call to missions is hugely tough, I am sure deciding not to marry someone is tough (been there!), and I am sure deciding to move away from all that you know in a friendship, a job, a church, etc. Is really tough as well. But I think it is the small decisions that lead up to the big decisions that make the big ones tough.

Throughout the day we are bombarded with decisions that will keep us in His will or not, but they are usually small decisions. We choose not to steal, we choose not to kill, we choose not to commit adultery, etc. But when we are in the check-out line and we see that she has undercharged us - do we respond? When we are asked to "burn" a CD for a friend that doesn't want to have to pay full-price - do we respond? When the man flirts with us even at church - do we respond? When the conversation turns and we can add our 2 cents about an undeserving, unaware, and absent friend - do we respond? When we have the opportunity to sleep in or skip church - do we respond? Oh yes oh yes, we respond, but how??? We have the choice to stay in His will in the small things and i think that may be the hardest. I think many times we conveniently forget it is the small things that show us faithful for the big things. They do effect one another! But I really believe that staying in His will in the small things is what helps us know what decision to make in the big things!

Lord, I choose to stay in Your will! I want to follow Your plan for my life and I want to do it no matter what the cost or who it hurts! Help me to be faithful in those small decisions so that when making those big decisions it will be no big deal because I have remained in Your "favor". There is that word again!

I choose this day to follow You! Empower me to be Your faithful child because simply that I love You not because I want to be seen as some spiritual giant! Find me faithful in the small things! I love you! Thank you for the recent booking, please send more! Thank you!