Hi, friends! This is our second week digging into “Uninvited” and it has definitely been a wild ride! Tears have been shed, let me tell you! I’m sorry for the late post of these questions! Thanks for your patience. Ok, let’s dive in:
Chapter 5: Hello, My Name is Trust Issues
*Do you feel that you might be asking God to bless YOUR plans rather than trusting HIS plans?
*“If we become enamored with something in this world we think offers better fullness than God, we will make room for it. We leak out His fullness to make room for something else we want to chase” (pg. ). How do you tend to make room for the things of the world? Does this generally lead to a feeling of emptiness rather than fullness?
“What we see will violate what we know unless what we know dictates what we see” (pg. ). How do we correct our vision in this area? How does lining up the truth about God dictate how we see ourselves and our situations? How will that better allow us to trust God?
Chapter 6: Friendship Breakups
*Have you found that pride and selfishness can get, or has gotten, in the way of friendships?
*Lysa says that we have a common enemy and it is not each other. How does that idea of solidarity, even with people who have hurt us or rejected us, change the way we can approach relationship troubles?
*”Bitterness, resentment and anger have no place in a heart as beautiful as yours” (pg. ). Are there any friends you need to “fight for”? How will fighting for these people help to rid your heart of any bitterness, resentment and anger?
Chapter 7: When Our Normal Gets Snatched
*Lysa speaks of standing between two boxes: one of bitterness and one of grace. If we choose to respond with bitterness it will lead to a life of more hurt. However if we choose grace it will lead to healing. How do you tend to respond when you find yourself standing between these two boxes?
*How does a rejection of God’s ways lead to a rejection of God Himself? On the other hand, how would embracing God’s ways with obedience lead to more affection of God?
*“It’s impossible to hold up the banners of victim and victory at the same time” (pg. 85). Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
Chapter 8: The Corrective Experience
*How do you tend to handle conversations where there are differing opinions?
*Lysa suggests we must take a “me too” approach rather than a “you should’ve” approach during difficult conversations as this puts us together on the same team able to attack the problem, not each other. Think on a recent conflict or difficult conversation you’ve had. Do you believe the “me too” approach would have helped the situation?
*In this chapter, Lysa went into further detail about the situation that happened between David and Nabal and how Abigail responded. What was so special and significant about the way she responded, especially for David?
Scripture of the Week
Psalm 23
Ephesians 6:12
1 Samuel 25:28-29
Prayer of the Week
Father God, we want to cooperate with You. We long to be women who truly embrace You and Your ways. We want to live in obedience to You but sometimes it is so very difficult. Hard conversations, rejections, and difficult days can throw us for a loop and take the wind out of our sails. Would You encourage us as we go about our days? Help us to see where we can be obedient to You and help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and not our circumstances. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Week
*Read Chapters 9-12
About two years ago I had the stark reality that I really hadn’t been trusting God’s plan – or Him in general – ever. In theory, yes, but not in application. I definitely have been in the driver’s seat when it comes to my life. And things have “worked out.” But for the first time I wondered whether my plans actually aligned with God’s will or if He just allowed things to happen. I know I can’t get stuck in the “coulda, shoulda, woulda” mentality, but I think it’s important to ask, if only to consider who is “in charge.”
Psalm 23 begins by stating, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” In essence, David acknowledges his needs are met because He has the Lord…God’s in charge. What I noticed for the first time while reading this Psalm (in this book) was how David’s mention of God starts out in a third-person format (“He/His”) and transitions to a second-person format (“You/Your”). I’m a grammar nerd, so you’ll forgive this breakdown. 😂 But I have a point. For me, this may hint at the transition from trust in theory to trust in practicality. David’s trust seems to become personal. And after all, that’s what God is all about: relationship.
I looked up faith and trust the other day and found eye-opening definitions. Faith is something we have while trust is something we do. What do we need to do? “[O]ur job is to be obedient to God. God’s job is everything else.” (Page 72) I’ve been trying (and still try) to take God’s job. Regardless if He blesses things so they happen in my life – or simply allows them – His will still is done and He gets the glory. My job is to obey and submit to Him…and take myself off His throne. 🙃
“I can’t continue to fully embrace God while rejecting His ways.” (Page 80) It’s as if a light bulb suddenly turned on in my brain when I read this and connected it to the definitions I previously shared. If I have faith but no trust what good is that?! It’s hard for me to release control to anyone, including God. I think that’s how it is for all of us in one way or another. But the more I wrestle with it, the more I see how much I’m not cooperating with the grace He’s given me.
At times it’s like I am blocking grace on purpose…as ridiculous as that sounds. I want the “upper hand” and think if I let my guard down I won’t have it anymore. As the author points out though, “It’s impossible to hold up the banners of victim and victory at the same time.” (Page 85) It forces me answer, “what do I really want: to be right or get it right?”
And I’ve found it’s so exhausting to fight for being right (even when you really are!). This doesn’t mean we throw out good and just accept wrong. It means we surrender ourselves to God, allowing Him to help us cooperate with and experience His grace. This isn’t a one-time thing; this is daily, moment by moment. “It’s the long working of grace upon grace within the hurts of our hearts.” (Page 85) I’d love for it to be a one-and-done deal, but at the same time, I’m starting to see these as opportunities to connect with God more.
Oh, and the “getting it right” piece? That doesn’t mean we have to perform or do certain things so God sees us as good enough for Him to help. Getting it right means seeing God rightly, seeing ourselves rightly, and seeing others in light of Him. It means understanding and accepting the fact that we don’t deserve His goodness and grace – and therefore, we obey Him out of a place of love, respect, and admiration.
Jesus gets how hard this human life is. He understands our struggles and can say He’s been there. He is calling each of us to Him, and gently whispers, “Me too” and “you belong”. We can rest in that. We can rest in His plans for us. We can rest in Him.