It's About Me?

I learned a life-changing lesson a few weeks ago through my friend C. She had been going through some really difficult days, and I was just doing my best to keep up while watching a scene straight from the days of King Nebuchadnezzer as Jesus miraculously walked through the fire with her, both of them unbound and unharmed.

One day, in the midst of all of the fire, she looked at me and said, "You know, if God has you in the middle of something, you'd better believe it is because He wants to deal with you. Even if you are there by no fault of your own (so you think), it doesn't matter. He purposes every single one of your steps. Even when you think He has you in a place to minister His love to someone else, you'd better be waiting for Him to smack You across the head with the change He is about to do in you."

What truth! Seriously, don't you ever wonder what God had to say to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were walking around in the fire? I seriously doubt it was, "Wow, guys, you are doing such a great job for the Kingdom here - this is going to mean so much to King Nebuchadnezzer."

But this is exactly the way that I am tempted to think when God puts me in the the fire on someone else's behalf: "God, give the me the patience and the peace to walk through this with __________, because I know this is your will for them. Help me to be a light for them and to have the words to say what they need to hear from you."

Not that this is inherently wrong, but what I realized that day through C was that by having this posture, I am limiting what God intends to do in my life. He is always wanting more of me, even if it seems I am only involved in the situation as a third party.

I can't wait to ask God one day what He said to those guys in the fire.