G.R.E.A.T.

Give thanks

Rejoice

Engraft Christ’s Commands

Appeal to God

Triumph with Good Works

My family and I have been watching the Anger Resolution Seminar from IBLP at our house. Last Tuesday, March 24, 2010 we watched the session on how to react to trials that we come in contact with in life. Mr. Gothard taught us that the biblical reaction to these trials was to Give thanks, Rejoice, Engraft Christ commands, Appeal to God by crying out and Triumph with good works or G.R.E.A.T.

As I sat there listening to Mr. Gothard’s stories and taking notes in my workbook, I thought that this sounded great (no pun intendedJ) and tried to think of ways in my life where I could apply it. Well, I didn’t really need to think to hard about it, because God brought a situation which gave me the perfect opportunity to apply G.R.E.A.T. to my life. Wasn’t that nice of Him? J

Friday morning I woke up and didn’t feel very well at all. My body just felt achy all over and I had a slight headache. By the afternoon I had a fever. I was like “No way, can I get sick. I have so much that I need to do and I can’t afford to get sick.” But sick I was and there wasn’t much I could do about it except to talk my vitamins and rest.

During my Date with God (a time to go somewhere and be alone with God and just talk with Him), I was asking God why in the world did I have to get sick now of all times. Then I remembered G.R.E.A.T. and decided that I might as well put that information to use. So I wrote out a prayer to God in my journal, thanking Him for me being sick and that I knew that in the long run it would be for my good. I then made a list of possible reasons for me getting sick.

I am all most completely over being sick and as I look back I don’t know if I passed the test that God gave me. For some of the time that I was sick, I did give thanks and rejoice and all that, but then there where times when I started worrying over Advanced EXCEL assignments and how I would get it all done. But I had to trust that God’s grace would help me as He was always done in the past. So I just rested in my Father’s loving arms and trusted that His grace would see me through it all. And so far He has been doing just that!