Priorities

Several weeks ago I went to a ladies prayer meeting and we talked about what we talk to our friends about.  We talked about a pastor who told the story about how he would call his mentor and start to talk about a situation and his mentor would interrupt him and say "Have you talked to God about this yet?"  Often the pastor would say no and his friend would say, "Go do that.  If you still need me, give me a call," and he'd hang up on him. More times than not, the pastor said, he never needed to call.

I was thinking about that during that time and I realized how true this is for me.  Granted, I am female, and if we are to believe everything people say about males and females and how we are different, then men are more concerned about solutions and females often just need to express emotion.  So, this particular pastor may have never needed to call back, but I usually still  need to talk through the emotions I'm feeling.  Still, when I think about how this concept plays out in my life, I am struck by how much truth there is in the concept of bringing things to God first.



I think of my friendship with my good friend and neighbor who lives just two floors below me.  We are lucky enough to talk now and then and she is a woman to whom God has given much wisdom.  I have found that when I talk to her, how I react to that wisdom changes very much depending on whether I've taken it to God first or run straight to her.  See, when I seek her wisdom without the peace that prayer brings, I often feel defensive and restless in spirit when we are done talking. But, when I have taken it to God first and then seek her wisdom, I often find confirmation of what God was speaking.  When I follow the correct order of things, she merely puts to words what God was speaking to my heart already and she gives me courage to do what I should.  It really is amazing what God does through other people when you allow him to.

Speaking of my good friend, I'm about to go hang out with her right now.  Aren't I lucky?