Thank you for No's and Closed Doors

So, I grew up the ONLY girl with 2 younger brothers and was the first grandchild to both sets of grandparents so it goes without saying that I was just a little spoiled and pretty much got what I wanted because I was the only girl and the oldest. :) For me, it was always a matter of saying what I wanted and eventually it would be done. I think some of that poured over into my adult life and I thought that things would just 'happen' for me but  I'm sure anyone reading this knows that life doesn't really work that way and I was in for a rude awakening, lol. There have been many times that I've been disappointed and let down when I felt like God didn't just grant me the desires of my heart WHEN I WANTED THEM. <--- problem was the when I wanted it and maybe, just maybe my timing might not have been aligned with God's timing so I was rejected or told No.

Looking back through slightly more mature eyes, I'm learning to be grateful and not bitter or angry for every closed door and every 'No' I received when I thought something was good for me. I now realize that a lot of those rejections were God's way of protecting me from myself. We always think we know best but God knows better than our best guess. I saw the second picture below posted on this awesome blog I follow and it was like that 'aha!' moment that Oprah talks about and I was like YES!

Sometimes it takes something that triggers our thought process and allows us to look at things from another angle or even to just remind us to be grateful for everything, positive and negative because its all for a reason. I personally feel like I'm in one of the best times of my life; I have a great, supportive family that loves me, unbelievably amazing friends, a job I love that's fulfilling and I'm certainly on my way to financial security and it feels darn good to have things fall into place... however, I shudder to think about where I could possibly be if God gave me some of those things I wanted way back then.... whether it was a certain job, a relationship with someone I thought was 'the one' for me or anything. They say things are always clearer in hindsight. I'm just glad that God knows what's best for me even better than I do and  HE knows and see's the big picture when I can only see a small part.  The hard part is that you have to always be in a position to trust God and know that what He's doing will all make sense later.   It might be diffiicult to understand or comprehend right now, but usually a day/time comes when you think back and you're like Man, I'm glad I didn't__________________!!!!  and you see the good that came as a result of the No, the denial, or the rejection. 

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We cant forget that even though we think something is good for us right now, maybe God doesnt see where that fits in our future (since He CAN see the whole) so we have to be willing to let go, and let God and trust that he knows better than we do.  Know that everything happens for a reason and it might not make sense right now but it will and that time is now for me.  Things are becoming so clear and I'm humbled and grateful for God protecting me and rejecting the things that were not for me. 

~Mo