Asking Better Questions

Greg signing in here for a quick post...

When we first got the news that Caden was going to need additional surgery one of the first questions that popped into my mind was "What didn't I learn the first time that I need to go through this again?" I have asked myself that many times since and it did not occur to me until recently that I could be asking the wrong question. The danger of course in asking the wrong question is it may likely lead you to an incorrect conclusion. So what is a better question? "What am I going to learn this time?" (Thanks Ryan).

Why is this a better question? When we think about a God of abundance (John 10:10) who cares for us so deeply and wants the best for us (1 John 1:4), it naturally takes our mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance. I would not say this is as easy as the statement makes it sound because the world we live in is so focused on scarcity. We get things in our head based on the way we see life and it affects how we view just about everything. For example, we have been trying to get lodging at the Ronald McDonald House as we believe that is the best option for us. Due to scarcity there is no room in the inn and we are frustrated by that. However, if we shift our thinking from scarcity to abundance it may be that we end up with accommodations that are far superior to what we believed was the best alternative. Or we may meet someone we needed or that needed us that we would never have met by being there. It is truly hard to know, but by faith we can expect that God will be faithful in bringing us abundance no matter what happens.

After we told Kyler that Caden was going to have surgery, he asked us the question "How come God did not fix Caden's heart while he was growing in mommy's tummy?" I just love the candor of children! We spent some time talking with him about sin and our fallen world, which opened up many more tough questions :). Then we talked about how this was also an opportunity for God to be glorified through Caden's life and story. I do believe Caden has a story to tell and I invite your prayers for him and his parents as we try to guide him down the path God has prepared for him. A path of abundance where scarcity becomes scarce.