This shift in my prayer changed my life for the better.

The story starts out like this. I was 8 months preg with our now 16 year old and taking bible classes at our church. I was in the middle of doing my homework when Jerry came down stairs and asked me to make him a sandwich before he headed off to work.

My emotions went from Mrs Spiritual Charlene, doing her bible study, to fury. I could not believe that he, a grown man, would ask me, the preg wife, to stop doing her awesome work, just to make his sandwich. He can make his own sandwich. I felt like a cartoon character because I could feel the heat coming out my ears. I tell ya, I would have signed divorce papers right there. I was furious to the highest degree. I got up and first went to this storage room we had in our house. We later finished it out as a bedroom but at the time it was just full of boxes. There was this one extra piece of carpet on the particle board floor and it was there that I got on my knees.

Pause: let’s stop for one min. I am not normally a -on my knees kind of praying girl- I actually only know of two times I got on my knees and prayed. To be honest, both times have huge life lessons for me. Maybe I should pray like that more.

Anyway, back to the story. I got on my knees and with hot, angry, tears coming down my face I said something like this to God.

“How dare he be so selfish. He is a grown man. He can make his own freaking sandwich. I can’t stand him Lord. Show him that he is wrong. I am for sure not wrong here. But…….if for some reason I am wrong (I doubt that I am) , show me.”

Imagine a movie where the universe stops in mid war and reverses to go another direction. All victory is had bc the main character finds the missing piece.

Ya, That was what happened. I was quickly going down a path of hate and bitterness but because I prayed the simple prayer that gave God permission to show me if I was wrong, he showed up in a big way.

After praying those words I immediately felt like the Lord was on my side but gently showed me that my anger was a sin. Jerry IS a grown man. He CAN make his sandwich but I am only responsible for my action and they were Out. Of. Line.

See, the key thing that I learned from this is to never be so prideful in your own righteousness that you miss out on what God wants to teach you.

I believe that all our prayers about attitudes of who’s right or wrong should end with the open heart prayer of “..but….if for some reason I am wrong, show me. ”

I got up off the floor and with a happy heart went to the kitchen and made Jerry his lunch. I went above and beyond and wrote him a note to put in there that said how thankful I was for him. He went to work each night (electrical engineer working the night shift at Saturn) His job was very stressful and I got to stay home every day with our babies. It really was a no brainer. If it blesses him to have me make his lunch, than I choose to do that. I choose to do that with my heart happy. I couldn’t see it at first. I was blinded by my angry. It was only when I was willing to see the situation through God’s eyes did I actually see it correctly.

We choose to do things. We can also choose to do things with a happy heart or a bitter, angry heart. One of these causes peace to our bodies and healing to our souls and the other one causes sickness and pain to wreck havoc on our bodies.

I don’t know about you but I am choosing to have a happy heart.