Today I am grateful for flexibility in ideas. The last few months I have been researching and looking at making a change in my personal life. I haven't decided anything yet so I am going to keep the details of this particular decision to myself, at least until I have made a decision. Anyways, I had found what I had been looking for, at least the best that I could find, and I had committed the decision to prayer. I didn't take much action during this time and just allowed the events to unfold. I'm not sure if this was a poor decision or God using my lapse in actions as an opportunity to present me with something different. Time will have the final say in that decision.
Let me explain. I had found what I was looking for, committed it to prayer, and did nothing else. During this time circumstances had changed and it turns out waiting had cost me what I was looking for, time had made it disappear. I now had to search again and this also meant that I had to expand my lens of focus to include more options because I just wasn't finding what I needed. My decision had been compromised, but I managed to find something better. Again, the final decision hasn't been made, but this time it is largely because I am unable to finish this decision at this time. Granted there are compromises that have to be made. This isn't what I had wanted, but in its place I am gaining more than I would have hoped for before.
These compromises that I would have to make mean that I have to be flexible. At first I was really struggling with being flexible because I knew what I wanted, but then I allowed the possibility of compromise to infiltrate my mind and the result was a plethora of ideas based on the compromises. This second option isn't what I originally wanted, but flexibility in my thinking has allowed me to see this option as something that I can manage. I am not unable to put these ideas into place, but the very fact that I have envisioned them means that they are a possibility. This is why I think that maybe God has used my lapse in action to present me with a better opportunity.
It is important to be flexible in our thinking because often God alters our plans that we would want to see fulfilled in favor of His plans that are much better for our lives. It is easy to see the loss and be upset, after all we consider ourselves experts in our lives or at least as far as what we need, but God sees the whole picture, the long term affects this decision will have on our lives. Sometimes what seems like a perfect decision today is the catalyst to unfortunate circumstances tomorrow. We are unable to know the circumstances of tomorrow and so we can never be certain that our decisions will fit our needs in those circumstances. My original decision fit my needs perfectly today, but I can see incidences in the future when that decision could be problematic. I have to consider these changes in my decision as an indication of another opportunity God has for me and that is better suited to my needs.
Flexibility is a wonderful ability and trait. I am thankful for the ability to be flexible and to imagine something different when circumstances change. What are you thankful for today?
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