Opportunities

My wife and I went and saw Evan Almighty last night. It was alright and certainly more of a family film than its predecessor. There was one gem from the movie I thought was worth mentioning. It comes at a pivotal point in the film where God (Morgan Freeman) dispels a bit of wisdom about prayer and our intentions:

... 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?

Just thought that was something to reflect on as we go about our "prayer" lives.