Wishful Wednesday!!!

Waste not, want not…

Why waste all of your energy wishing on a star, lucky’s rabbit’s foot, four leaf clover, and any other lucky item? What good are wishes really? When does a person actually stop wishing?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not bashing wishes but why stop there? Most folks wish, wish, wish, & wish some more until they are blue in the face. Where does it really get them?

I remember wishing upon a falling star so many times as a young girl because that’s what I saw in the movies or fairy-tales. I used to wish for a million bucks for my mom because I knew even then money was tight and ends didn’t always meet. Then of course there were the common kid wishes of a bike, toys, and whatever else was hot then. There is nothing wrong with that but as a grown up, they are no longer just called wishes.

verb: 1. feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen.
noun: 1. a desire or hope for something to happen.

When you read the definition of a wish, it seems almost shallow and empty when we think about what exactly we have wished for. To win the lottery, a big house to fall into our lap, a new car, and countless other things that are only of use in this life. One word stands out to me when I read the definition to wish and that is desire. One of the most quoted bible passages came to mind immediately. “The desire of the flesh” ( 1 John 2:16 ) is condemned not because it refers to the material realm, but because it refers to what is earthly and therefore transitory (v. 17).We desire for things to be different. Our desire to have things the way we think they should be could cause us to take matters into our own hands. Therefore creating our own outcomes that really may not have been for us to begin with. If what we receive wasn’t really meant for us then of course they are going to crumble and it’s back to the drawing board.

I once heard that ‘If you want to make God laugh tell him what your plans are.’ My pastor uses that saying often and it always tends to tickle me. It’s so easy to be upset and blame anyone else when something doesn’t go right. When the money looks funny and change is completely strange, we can easily blame it all on the evil spirit that seeks to cause havoc. Yes the enemy is always lurking to kill, steal, and destroy but where are we in our lives to block that from happening.

Do we wish for things to get better or do we pray for things to get better?

In times of hardship are we wishing or praying for a way out?

In my opinion…(let me repeat that)… IN MY OPINION, wishing and praying are loosely similar.

verb 1. address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity or other object of worship.

noun 1. used as a preface to polite requests or instructions.

Where as a wish is just thrown into the atmosphere where as a prayer is a request. A request given putting aside the spirit of selfishness and invoking the fruits of the spirit. All the while giving thanks for past, present, and future blessings no matter how bleak times seem. Mostly seeking guidance to be sure the work being completely is to glorify he who sits high or just a temporary fix to make us happy.

My main point is don’t give up on your wishes or dreams but let’s include them into our spirit of prayer. The revelation may not be what you want but what you need will certainly come. Step outside the cookie cutter box and ask; “Do I need this or want this?” God already knows the answer but why waste our thoughts on things of the world that may or may not necessarily make us happy.

Waste not, want not… That could easily consist of breath or time in meditation that we can’t get back. While wasting time on wanting things that will only matter while on Earth, we could be spending time doing the things that will matter when that great day comes.