Walk the Walk, Then I'll Pray

I hear a great deal of complaining about life's struggles. People complain about how their wife/husband acts and how frustrating it can be. They complain about how often they fight with their spouse. They complain about their work situation (or lack thereof). They complain about their financial situation or mounting debt. They complain about how busy they are and how taxing it can be on their family.

Then they ask me to pray.

But I want them to take the next step. I want them to take action to rectify these struggles.

Choose to serve and love your spouse, not react with more conflict. Work hard in your job, or in your job search, so that your efforts may reflect the Lord. Sacrifice financially... give up eating out, expensive gifts, self-indulgence, and buy the cheap brands. Say no to some activities or projects to make time for your family.

This is not intended to be a passive-aggressive response to any particular situation. I'm just reflecting on how conversations often develop with other Christians. I'm constantly asked to pray for people in their situation, but the same prayer request comes up again, and again, and again... but we never discuss that next step. We never discuss what action we can take now.

And I know that I carry some of the blame. I haven't taken opportunities to challenge others in their walk. I haven't rebuked them for choices that have placed them where they are and helped them figure out how to make the right choices. And I am hardly perfect, I struggle in these areas as well, but I haven't taken the time to relate my own experiences for others as well... to show them how I've grown.

Choose to do the right thing. That's my final plea.

The easiest example is in relationships with your spouse. I hear about a fair number of conflicts in marriages. The discussion always becomes about what the other person has done. But I'd love to see these discussions make a complete turn-around and become about what we can do for our spouse. There is fault on both sides in most conflicts, but we rarely admit to our part and own up to our sin (whether it's visible or simply internal).