Spiritual relationship help &
Building self esteem

Self-love

How to find peace when you don't get what you want.

Unmet expectations cause a lot of our pain. But the things we wish for, and pray for, are not always what we need. “Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes. “Thank goodness I have not been given everything I have asked for in my prayers,” is the old tongue-in-cheek joke.

The graceful life is about trust. When we surrender, we give up control and turn things over to God. This does not mean we abdicate self-responsibility. It means we stop trying to control things over which we have no control anyway.

Think of a boat anchored when a storm strikes. Darkness descends upon daylight. The wind gusts. The seas rage. Whitecaps swell. Waves crash upon the shore. The boat thrashes around on the rough seas. Things inside it clatter and clang. But the anchor holds. The storm passes.

The boat endured. It weathered the storm. Some paint may have chipped. A piece of glass might be cracked. The boat suffered, but it persevered. New dings add to its character as a well-traveled vessel and bring with it the hope of future journeys. All because the boat was securely anchored.[2]

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Copyright © 2003 by Christine N. Karcher. Chris Karcher is the author of Relationships of Grace, Amazing Things I Know About You, and Relationships of Grace Workbook. To order books and tapes, schedule Chris for speaking engagements, or subscribe to Chris’ newsletter, visit www.relationshipsofgrace.com, email order@relationshipsofgrace.com, or call 1-877-GET-GRACE (1-877-438-4722).