In Charge of the World
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Matthew 6:31-34 NIV
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I’m having some relief from the awful pain I had been experiencing prior to Christmas and since. I am still on “limited duty” per my husband so I will do what I feel I absolutely want done, and wait until medical expertise can offer me additional relief. We had a wonderful post-Christmas family reunion to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary! All my siblings and all nieces and nephews were there and several relatives, in-laws of siblings, who have become true friends, and even one of my father's college roommates--it was just wonderful!
In the “before and after” get-to-gethers and conversations with various family members I discovered something: we all believe we are “in charge of the world”! Really! As I observed my parents and siblings, I had to laugh to myself how even planning a “sister’s dinner” (gift from a brother-in-law) with my mom, sisters and sister-in-law became an event worthy of strategic planning on the scale of an international trade agreement! Kids everywhere – visiting cousins, aunts, grandpa, and who was carpooling with whom . . . it was great! And it reminded me of myself and my own life.
And as I thought of my marriage, and my friendships, my job and my activities at church I realized that most of us really do act as if we are in charge – of everything! And I thought about why that is. I came to a pretty sobering conclusion about myself. If I expend all my energy telling everybody else what to do, getting involved in details I don’t need to know, making decisions I don’t need to make, I don’t have the time or energy to focus on myself. On my own life. On the things I won’t give over to God. On the things I give over and then take back. Because, after all . . . I am in charge. Right?
I have read The Purpose Driven Life
four times and taught
four classes on the book. What part of “It’s Not About You” am I missing here? Speaking only for myself: each day does have enough trouble for itself! I don’t mean bad things happening, I mean
I am a full-time job! I have so many areas that God is developing in me, and so many he is scraping away, refining, renewing. And if I only focused on God’s plans, that would certainly take all my time and energy. And it would not leave me time to run around telling everybody else what they should do, and complaining about how much better things would be if everyone would just listen to me, and basically, if I were truly in charge!
Thankfully, I am not. God swoops down to save me from most of my potentially biggest blunders. And he uses the others to teach me something. Some day I’m going to listen to him. I’m going to give my life over to him and not take it back!
My prayer today is that you join me in turning over today to our God. And that you try really, really, hard not to take it back. Happy New Year!
Mary
