You will get what you ask for.

The family and I watched Evan Almighty tonight.  It's one of my favorite movies.  I love to be reminded of how it has never been easy to follow God.  Looking at the story of Noah - a story I have known forever - but looking at it in a different way ...  It could not have been easy to be Noah - or his family for that matter.  We read the story and in the Bible it's pretty straightforward - God told him to build an ark and he did it.  But can you imagine? 

Or how about Mary?  Seriously?  A young girl has to not only convince her fiance she didn't cheat on him - but live with the stares and the rumors and the gossip.  Not only for her pregnancy - but probably the rest of her life.

There is a quote from the movie that always gets to me.

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

Now I don't know about you - but I stopped praying for patience a long time ago.   I HATE opportunities to be patient.  UGH.  And yet apparently I still need that lesson.  But have you ever found that when you pray for different things you expect God to just give them to you - but instead he gives you opportunities to exercise that muscle.  So be careful what you pray for.  :)
 
For instance ...
 
Lord, use me in my husband's life.
Lord, I want to shine for you at work.
 
Even the mundane like ...
 
Lord - thank you for this tool that is WLS to help me make these changes in my life. 
 
Whoops - now I've got to exercise that muscle.  Great.
 
God never promised us that life would be easy - only that He would be with us all the way.  I think most of all - He wants us to reach out for His hand and allow Him to lead us and help us.
 
So be on the look out for the opportunities He is giving you to get just what you prayed for.  :)