We have all heard how the Lord can do wonderful miracles for people, can thrust them into their Promised Land and the giants simply let them in and hand over the deed to the land. It happens. But then there are other times, the majority of times, when blessings come at great cost or after great battles in which nothing came easily. Does that mean God wasn’t in it?
Maybe you’re a flexible person. I’m not. I have gotten much better at rolling with it. But it has been a process. Relinquishing control is hard for some of us. Trusting is hard for some of us. I began learning of the destructiveness of control in my teen years. After all, if you want something done right, do it yourself, right? Wrong. My attempts at controlling life led to a life out of control.
One cozy Fall day, I was snuggled in, watching “Persuasion,” a Jane Austen novel set to film. I was struck by a line in the movie that a young woman says to a young man. It goes something like this, “I’d rather be tossed in a ditch by the man I love than to go steadily along without him.” (Caveat: “tossed in a ditch,” was not referring to abuse, but rather living a thrillingly adventurous life alongside her husband.) It made me think of my own adventures with God.
It’s way too easy for us to imagine that we will know what to do and how to react in the moments we are called to follow onto the waves. It all seems so straightforward from the sidelines. But it is in the stepping out that we find out what is really lurking inside our hearts and minds.
Most people go through a season of loneliness. When we are in the midst of it, we can feel we are the only ones to ever feel the sting of isolation and the rejection we think it implies. Yet we are not alone and there is a purpose to the season. Exploring and learning from this season not only ushers us out of the season, it will develop Christ-likeness if we allow it.
Most Believers have an eye toward becoming more humble, but there are two distinct ways of going about it. One is exemplified in Scripture while the other is not only a partnership with the enemy, but is the one we most often use!
Ever want to get away? To escape the clamor of, not only the world, but your own roiling thoughts? I need a place where quiet overtakes my heart, where peace is permitted to invade and where I can be still enough to hear that Still Small Voice that is so willing to speak, but so easily drowned out...
How we view the people around us effects every interaction we have. And when we take our cues from how the world tells us to view people, we can find ourselves believing only what we're presented with on the surface.
Is the "someday" myth holding you back? It can be a powerful illusion that keeps you stuck in the waiting room of life. What are you waiting for? It's time for you to get un-stuck!
I know we’re supposed to cooperate with God, work alongside Him, following His lead. But sometimes I’m tempted to take the reins and control things. When fear takes over, trust evaporates.
