ARE YOU BLOCKING YOUR BLESSINGS?
The Story of the Drowning Man:
“A man was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.
Soon a man in a rowboat came by, and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.”
The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God, and he is going to save me.”
So the rowboat went on.
Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.”
To this, the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God, and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the motorboat went on.
Then a helicopter came by, and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.”
To this, the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God, and he is going to save me. I have faith.”
So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop, and the man drowned. He went to Heaven.
He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you, but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!”
To this, God replied, “Who do you think sent you the rowboat, motorboat, and helicopter?”
The message of the Drowning Man story makes me think about our expectations and how we sometimes miss the blessing because we are too focused on it, appearing the way we want or expect.
How many times have you missed the blessing because it didn’t come in the way, shape, or form you wanted or expected? Sometimes we don’t even realize our prayers have been answered because it didn’t happen the way we had in mind.
Are your expectations blocking your blessings? So often we miss the blessings of God, the message of God, or the wisdom of God because we have already mapped out in our minds what it is supposed to look like. When we miss it, we think that God “didn’t show up” and then doubt starts to creep in.
My encouragement to you is don’t limit God by pre-determining what His blessings should look like. Have an open hand and an open heart knowing that what God will do is far better than we can imagine.
Put your trust in God, and remember that His ways never block our blessings.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
