I know God is trying to get my attention: sometimes through people telling me of roadblocks ahead while other times through circumstances. But, like a bull in a china shop, I tend to charge right in. On occasion, the china escapes unscathed. But too often, there’s a great sound of shattering glass.
II Corinthians 12:20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
My independent streak started at a young age. My father died when I was only nine and I was a latch key kid for several years. My mother was a difficult woman who suffered from bipolar disorder (we only figured that out much later). She was unpredictable and ultimately, for me, unsafe. I told her as little as I could and I made many of my own decisions. These choices included getting married at eighteen (I was already a Junior in college), because I was sure I was ready to be out on my own, divorcing 5 years later, moving to New York City to be come “rich and famous.” These early years set up lots of walls.
It’s hard to hear or see warnings when a person is so doggone “capable.”
Somehow, I have allowed myself to believe that warnings are a negative thing. They are restrictions. They are penalties. But today, I have a new view.
God’s warnings are actually lighthouses. The beams of light give instruction and information: be careful, danger is nearby, be alert, watch! Everything is fine, just be on guard for challenges. Avoid unnecessary consequences. Change course if necessary. There is always another way to get there. I love you. I care about you.
As a parent, I have tried to be a lighthouse for my children. And don’t I do this out of my love for them? Would God do any less?
Meditations from Zion 
I thank God for His light in the darkness, His solid: “I will never leave or forsake you”. His words of wisdom protect and shield us (when we are willing to listen). His wonderful gift of discernment cautions us: heads up, pay attention, something is amiss. We all need lighthouses to show us the way. When the storms of life come, we need to know we are headed in the right direction. I’m glad the Lord gave you a “new view”. I am always thankful for the Warnings!
Thanks for your message on my Carepage today, Irm. Although your words made me cry, you blessed me as I contemplated God’s provision in our years as a couple. Thank you for that!