Last Tuesday morning, my alarm went off at 2:50 a.m., like normal. I hit snooze — like normal.
At 2:55 a.m. my alarm went off again. I hit snooze again.
At 3:00 a.m. my alarm went off again. I hit snooze again.
At 3:05 a.m. my alarm went off again. I hit snooze and said a quick prayer, “Lord, help me be disciplined.”
I had no sooner finished those words when God spoke to me through a thought and I heard, “I have already given you three chances to work on your discipline.”
I slowly rolled out of bed with that thought.
Many times in life we view obstacles and challenges as punishment — or as some form of disapproval of what we are doing. We start questioning ourselves.
Is this what I’m supposed to be doing?
What did I do wrong?
Why is this happening?
But in those moments, God is often giving us exactly what we asked for — an opportunity to grow into what we prayed for.
We learn discipline by doing the things we don’t want to do because they cause temporary discomfort, while trusting that the future reward is greater than the temporary discomfort.
We learn patience when our patience is continually being tested, giving us the opportunity to practice calmness, understanding, and empathy.
We learn faith by taking the next scary step when we can’t see the step — and discovering that once we move, the step appears.
My challenge to each of us is this:
Begin looking at obstacles and challenges not as punishment, but as opportunities — opportunities to step into what we are asking the Lord for.
The more we step into the opportunity, the more our prayers are answered.
Take the next step.