Communication Glitch

"The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."
F.B. Meyer

Prayer. Just the very word conjures a range of emotional thoughts and feelings. Comfort. Duty. Guilt. Anger. Connection. This last Sunday, our pastor, once again, did a fabulous sermon on prayer. He used the above quote, and Luke 11:2-13 to remind us that we just need to keep knocking..keep seeking..keep praying. God is listening.  I needed to be reminded of this great truth. However, before the sermon had even been uttered, God allowed me to be in two situations that paralleled the importance of prayer.

You know how they say in marriage, communication is key?  Well you'd think, in all our wisdom ;), after 5 years of marriage, Clinton and I would be starting to grasp that concept a little more.  Most of the time, I'd say we communicate pretty well, however, the gender differences often play a part in setting expectations and thus ensue a lack of communication...which can lead to some distress.  Over the weekend, Clinton and I were in one of those situations that required more communication than the other was willing to give...well..ok..than I was willing to give.  (Sorry honey, I need to use you to make a point)

So, Friday, I traveled to Dodge to drop off a load of our belongings. Let me preface- Clinton had been gone all week working in Liberal (an hour or so away from Dodge), and I had to load up and haul stuff out by myself- which was fine- but by Friday night, I was a bit tired. Also, he had to work Saturday. So, Friday evening rolls around, and here I am weary, overwhelmed emotionally by life right now, and stuck in Dodge City. It had been a long day, and I was thinking/hoping that Clinton would surprise me for the evening. After all he was only an hour away, right?  But, I did not communicate this desire to him because, by my mistake, I thought he'd catch on to this.  At first it was no big deal, I had known he wasn't coming, but I was still hoping. But, as the evening ensued, through various conversations, my hope started to disappate as he showed no signs of catching on. Thus, my reaction was to shut down, close him off, and let the hurt fester in my heart.  By the time I went to bed I was a mess emotionally, - angry, bitter, sad, and the last thing I wanted to do was talk to him.

But, talking is exactly what we needed to do.  After enough poking and proding, I eventually broke down and spilled my heart to him.  He was completely unaware that I had even felt this way! Of course then he felt awful, but if I had just talked to him in the first place, it would not have been an issue!  I allowed myself to dwell on the hurt of unmet expectations, instead of just communicating in the first place.  We missed out on a perfectly good opportunity to be together, because I just wanted my need to be magically met. 

This, and another couple's communicating issues (for confidentiality purposes, I will not divulge this situation), got me thinking about our relationship with God.  I for one, know that when I am not communicating with God, my life is out of whack.  When I go for periods of time and don't communicate with Him, my heart begins to harden, my attitude shifts, and I start to dwell on the hurt of unmet expectations.  Why is it that we build walls and push God away daily?  The longer we go, the harder it is to just humble ourselves and talk with Him. But talking is exactly what we need to do.  In both situations over the weekend, when both parties communicated, everything turned out great..better actually!  Isn't that how it is with God?  When we finally surrender and communicate with Him, oh how our hearts find peace! 

Today as I reflect on our humaness, once again, and our need to be self-suficient, I pray that we would be reminded of how important it is to be in communication with our true Source of Life.  How tragic, how bitter, how hopeless we allow our lives to become because we simply don't talk to the One who is able and willing to help us!  Obviously, unlike Clinton :), God already knows our thoughts, but the point is He WANTS us to talk to him about everything anyways. It's not to enlighten Him, it's to remind us of who is in control, and of our desperate need for a Savior in this imperfect world.

Take time today to pray, to talk to God, to offer your concerns, your unmet expectations, your hurt and of course your joys.  I think God even delights in the silly stuff we bring Him, because He knows we are human and He wants to build that relationship.  Don't let your day slip away without communicating with your Heavenly Father. Don't miss out on opportunities to be with Him.  You never know what blessings will befall your eyes and your heart if you just offer it.

Love.