It's Not What I Thought | Holly Furtick

Have you ever gotten angry because things didn't turn out the way you thought? I thought college would be fun. I thought marriage would make me happy. I thought a new job would make me fulfilled. I thought we could save our marriage. I thought if I ate healthy, I would never get sick. I thought if I went to rehab, I wouldn't struggle anymore. This was not how Naaman thought he would get his healing. So Naaman takes his letter from the king and he gathers up all these gifts, gold and silver and beautiful clothes, and he gets his entourage together and they travel down to the land of Israel. And look with me at verse nine. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha's house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with his message. Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored and you will be healed of your leprosy. A simple direction, right? But Naaman, our mighty warrior, you know, he's probably a very passionate person. You have to be if you're a mighty warrior. He was not happy with this direction. Look what happens verse 11. But Naaman became angry and he stalked away. I thought he would certainly come out to meet me. He said, I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me. Aren't the rivers of Damascus and Abana and the Pharpar better than any of the rivers in Israel? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed? Why did come all this way? So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. Naaman is so angry because this is not how he thought his healing would come. You ever been angry because it didn't turn out the way you thought? Naaman wanted attention. Naaman wanted drama. And what he got was a simple instruction. Something, in fact we're supposed to do every day. Wash. For some reason, it's a hard thing for certain people. It's a simple thing. Wash and be healed. Naaman said, I thought, you know how many times those two words have gotten me into trouble? You see, I am a best case scenario kind of person. And Steven and I, we love to hike. Nothing big. We live in Charlotte, so there aren't exactly, like, peaks to climb in our backyard. But we like to go for little hikes. And so one year for Christmas, I thought it would be awesome to include the kids in our little hikes. It could be like a family thing. So I got them all hiking boots and. And I got him those Backpacks with the straw, the little water bladder in the back. It wasn't anyone's favorite gift that they received for Christmas, but I was okay with that because I knew the gift was going to be in the experience that we were going to have together, right? So finally February came around and we went to this mountain house. And the night before our hike, I studied the map and I figured out which trail we were going to take. And I got. I got everyone's bladder filled and their bags. That sounds funny. And their bags packed with snacks. And then the day of, I made sure everyone had the right socks on because I just, I didn't want anything to get in the way of our fun. This was gonna be fun. So five minutes in, the questions started. And now these are not preschoolers, okay? My kids are teenagers and almost teenagers. So the questions start, how long is this? And they're like, wait, we're just walking? You and dad do this for fun? How far is this walk? When are we gonna eat? My hands are cold. Can I take my jacket off? Then they started fighting. Like, literally every conversation somehow turned into a fight or a competition. And finally, several hours later, we returned to the house and everybody like, dispersed and like, went their separate ways. And I went and found Stephen and I said that wasn't how I thought it would go. And, you know, I think that the biggest mistake I make as a mom is planning how I think my kids lives will go. They're gonna play this sport and they're gonna play this instrument because I wish that I could do those things. And they're gonna get good grades and they're gonna take AP classes and they're gonna go to college and they're gonna get married and they aren't gonna make any mistakes because I, their wise, loving mother, I am going to guide them through all the twists and turns of life. And then when things don't go according to my plan, because they're human beings, I pray and I tell God how he can get them back on track. Like, God, and I have good ideas. I have good ideas. God, give them a teacher this year that will make them love learning again. God, send a good churchgoing family, a family perhaps who goes to our church to move into the house next door. And God, if they could have kids, our kids ages. And I think God is sitting up in heaven going, holly, telling me what to do is not prayer. And then, and then I get angry. Have you ever gotten angry because things didn't turn out the way you thought? I thought college would be fun. I thought marriage would make me happy. I thought a new job would make me fulfilled. I thought we could save our marriage. I thought if I ate healthy, I would never get sick. I thought if I went to rehab, I wouldn't struggle anymore. This was not how Naaman thought he would get his healing. You know what Naaman was thinking? Magic, he said. I thought the prophet would come out and meet me and wave his hands over me and I would be healed. Have you ever gotten angry because magic Jesus didn't show up? I hope that's not a sacrilegious thing to say. I don't mean to offend anyone, and I'm not saying that there are times when. When God heals immediately. But in my experience, God is more concerned about my soul than he is about my physical problems. And Naaman had some soul work that he needed to do. And also in my experience, and this is just how it happens with me. God requires me to participate in my own healing. That's why he does not do abracadabra over my situation. Because if he did, I would just end up right where I started because I never had to do any work to make the change. Hey, thanks for watching. I hope that that encouraged you today. Make sure that you subscribe so that you don't miss out on other videos like this and I'll see you back here next.