I have realized recently that I am gaining a greater sense of peace about God being in charge of and aware of all the bad stuff that goes on here on the Big Blue Marble and in my life specifically. I first became aware of this truth on a personal level when my position as a Training Officer was eliminated by budget cuts and I was sent back to work in the jail. This meant giving up my own office and a flex schedule to work four days on, four days off, two months on days, two months on nights. This meant I would only be able to attend church part time (four Sundays on, four Sundays off) and would not have the flexibility I previously had to adjust my work schedule to accommodate important meetings, functions, etc. As I growled, griped and gnashed my teeth about this imposition on my schedule and my ability to serve anytime I was needed, it occurred to me out of the blue that God was already aware of this. My new work schedule was not going to ruin God's plans for my life, even though this is how I initially felt.
Did I truly feel that God was currently hard at work in my life, drawing me into and preparing me for future ministry? Yes. Could any human plan, circumstance or change of work schedule thwart the plans of God? Of course not. Did I need to exert extraordinary amounts of human effort in order to overcome worldly circumstances so that God's plans wouldn't be ruined by them? Again, of course not. Given all this, WHAT WAS I SO UPSET ABOUT THEN? (There is the issue of not being able to watch college football every Saturday due to my rotating work schedule, but I've come to agree with Him that that's not part of His plan for my ministry).
At Manfest 2012 I was able to spend some quiet time alone with God. I came away from that with an awareness of just how much effort I've spent throughout my life making sure my plans turn out well. The fact that I'm a control freak means that I probably spend more time and effort than most in this regard. This life-long habit didn't abate once I became a Christian, I simply turned my efforts toward making sure God's plans for my life were able to be realized. It wasn't until some worldly circumstance which I couldn't "fix" by my own effort came along that I realized that I'd been fooling myself all along. Part of giving your life over to God and His plans involves giving up human effort to make them come to fruition. It also involves giving up self reliance and, through faith and trust in Him, relying on Him to guide us into the plans He has for us.
So what's my take-away from the assignment mentioned at the beginning of this post? It wasn't until God allowed "negative" circumstances into my life over which I had no control that I realized that my peace needs to come from my firm belief that He's aware of and not the least bit worried about the things that worry me. And why isn't He worried? Because He knows that it's His diving will--and not my human efforts--that will make His plan for my life come to fruition.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
(Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
(Matthew 6:34 ESV)
(Matthew 6:34 ESV)
No comments:
Post a Comment