Day 100 - Dangerous strengths
Scripture focus: "Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me." Numbers 22:32 NLT
I've been given the gift of intuition. This isn't some magical power, it is just a small part of my temperament type. Lots of people are intuitive. Intuitive people go shopping and think, "Hmmm. I need something new to wear. I'll walk around until something jumps out at me." And something ALWAYS jumps out at me.
Non-intuitive types shop differently. My daughter, for instance, will say, "Let's go shopping." I used to hear her say this and think, "Oh goody! I get to buy her a cute new outfit!" That's before I came to understand her "sensing" self. When my daughter shops, she shops. First, she looks at every item of apparel in every store within a twenty mile radius of our house (or so). After scoping out trends and styles, she'll return home (empty-handed) and ponder. She'll consider what's already in her closet, prioritize her needs, calculate her budget, and eventually, at some point, when I nag long enough - we'll go back and buy.
Intuition has its limitations. I have three red dresses and a need for only one. I have several pairs of black shoes - none of them are quite right. But each pair, in its day, jumped out at me, and I took them home as if I owed them a space in my closet. My daughter doesn't have issues like this with her wardrobe. When she buys, she commits - and she's satisfied with her decision.
Sometimes intuition comes in handy. Although it doesn't necessarily serve me well when shopping, sometimes God uses it for good. Like the time I was sitting behind a couple in church, and I was filled with this overwhelming sense of dread. The yukky feeling compelled me to hang around at the end of the service and make a special effort to chat with them. Sure enough, they needed someone to listen to their story.
It would be easy to "go with my intuition" when making decisions - but that doesn't mean it would be wise! Sometimes my daughter has to decide on which white shirt to buy, even if she hasn't seen every single solitary white shirt available in Northern Virginia. Our strengths may come naturally, but sometimes we are better served by branching out. We can become stubbornly resistant and encounter roadblocks along the way simply by becoming too comfortable. What comes natural isn't always what serves us (and others) best. I tend to assume that if I encounter a roadblock, and feel stuck in my life then I'm doing something wrong. Although that happens, I've discovered that I often get stuck because I won't take a risk. I'm so afraid of failing that I stumble out of the starting block of a race I was destined to win! Sometimes my path is blocked because I've stubbornly resisted trusting God - and instead, relied on my own strengths.
I can rely on my intuition (appropriately) without trusting it; trust is reserved for God.
In the next few days, we're going to study the life of Balaam. Balaam's story is found in the book of Numbers - and it's a strange one! Known internationally as a seer and pagan prophet, Balaam specialized in animal divination. But in this story, Balaam's "intuition" fails him. Tune in tomorrow for more on Balaam's wild and crazy adventure. See how thoroughly capable God uses even messy mortals to accomplish his prevailing purposes.
Recommended reading: Deuteronomy 33 and 34 in the morning; Luke 13 in the evening
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