The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

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“If you pray for a love within your family, do you think God gives you love or does he provide you with opportunities to love? (Morgan Freeman, Evan Almighty)”

When I first heard this quote from the movie Evan Almighty, I had an “a ha” moment. I know its not a profound truth and that I had heard the same thing said before. But never have I heard it said so clearly.

What if God doesn’t give us what we ask for sometimes? What if He gives us opportunities grow in what we’ve asked?

I’ve seen this play out in my life many ways but I must say that this idea is not always at the forefront of my mind. Somehow at the most inopportune times I react instead of thinking first.

I love the way Steven Covey puts it in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He describes everything we do as a choice and that whenever a “Stimulus” happens to us (child’s temper, co-worker yells at us etc) we usually follow with a response of some sort.

But Covey would say that there is a split second there where you make a choice – that choice determines how you respond. Effective people take that moment to consciously choose to respond in a “win-win” manner.

For me, it’s choosing love and patience in that moment following an upset child’s response. Not at all easy and definitely not natural, but well worth it for maintaining my composure and the dignity of my child.

So what am I trying to say here?

In those moments when you’re about to lose it with someone, remember to look at the situation as an opportunity to love provided by God and take that split second moment and choose to respond in a loving way. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll take one step closer to growing in love.

I think there are two fundamental questions that drive us: 1) who is God? 2) who am I? And the first question is the key to the second question for a very simple reason. If God knows you better than you know you, then you need to get to know God so you can get to know yourself. Think about it.

Doubt is a matter of the mind. Unbelief is a matter of the heart. Doubt is when we cannot understand what God is doing and why He is doing it. Unbelief is when we refuse to believe God’s Word and do what He tells us to do.

Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong. It may be a sign that he is thinking.