Last week my husband and I met my brother and his wife in Albuquerque, NM for a visit.  The weather was cooler than we had expected and at times actually felt down right cold with the strong winds. Since it wasn’t so enjoyable to be outside in all that wind with the cooler temperature, we changed our plans; that’s called being flexible. We also had to be flexible in our choice of restaurants. We were seated in one restaurant but before anyone came to take our order, we all decided that we’d rather go somewhere else! We couldn’t explain exactly what it was but something just didn’t seem right. We drove a couple of blocks and found another restaurant, and was very pleased with not only the atmosphere, but the food was delicious. As I was reminiscing about the wonderful time we had visiting, going to a museum, and just hanging out together; it was a fun trip. Even though we planned the trip the best we could, we had to be flexible in those plans when necessary; but mostly we were thankful for the time we had together for those few days.

Three lessons can be learned from all this: plan and prepare; adapt and flexibility; appreciate and thankfulness.

Plan and Prepare:

In order for any event to be accomplished it has to be planned and prepared beforehand.  We have to think about what we want to accomplish, what end result we desire to achieve. In our everyday life we need to think about what needs to be done and plan and prepare our schedule accordingly. God is interested in our daily lives. He knows everything and knows best how to help us maneuver through our daily responsibilities. All preparation includes planning, and all planning includes preparation, and all planning and preparation should be bathed with prayer.

Adapt and Flexibility:

If you’ve lived for any length of time, you have probably learned to be adaptable and flexible. To adapt means to make suitable or fit – as for a new use – or different conditions, in other words to conform. This is what Romans 12:1-2 teaches us. We are to adapt (conform) ourselves to the Word of God and not to the world. Each one of us must learn to adapt our thinking and living to agree to what the Bible says how we should talk, think, and behave. Think about this: if Saul had not changed his mind and viewpoint of who Jesus is, he would have stayed physically blind and remembered only as the persecutor of God’s people. But, because when he heard and saw the truth of Jesus, Saul changed his viewpoint to God’s viewpoint, which not only resulted in his name being changed from Saul to Paul, but also his heart changed from a persecutor to a preacher of the Gospel. God may not change our name but He wants to change our heart so we can become the person He created us to be. Some people view being flexible as being double-minded which is what James 1:8 mentions about an unstable person. No one wants to be unstable, right! However, when we read God’s Word, we must learn to be flexible in yielding to God’s influence in our heart and lives. That’s the transformation of being changed from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) The Bible is like an adapter that connects us to the love, knowledge, and power of God.

Appreciation and Thankfulness:

We begin learning to be appreciative as a small child when our parents teach us to say “thank you”. We learn to appreciate the good we have in our lives. One of the characteristics of appreciation is giving value justly; it’s expressing our gratitude to others, for others, and certainly for what God has done for us. Appreciation and thankfulness should go together. When we appreciate what we have or what someone has done, we should express it with a “thank you”. We need to be influenced by the Word of God in giving just value for what we have.  I’ve thought about that phrase, “giving just value” and think it has to do more with our heart’s appreciative attitude to put value on something or someone, than their ability to “earn” value. That’s what God has done for us: He has put so much value on us that He sent His only Son to pay the sin-penalty for us. (John 3:16-18) First Chronicles 16:34 tells us; “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.”

I challenge you this week to look for everyday lessons to learn in life and all the things God has and is doing for you in your life, and express your gratitude to Him with words of thanksgiving and praise.