Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance. Forgive me for getting ahead of Your plans, and help me know when to stop and listen for Your direction. Your ways are perfect, Lord. Thank You for offering gentle grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
~ Kristine Brown
Sometimes inspiration can be found in the unlikeliest of places. In fact, I stumbled across a meme (author unknown) that read something to the effect: worry, fear, and anxiety exist in our lives when we focus too much on our own concerns and desires rather than embracing God’s larger plan for us. I was struck by the power and magnitude of this statement despite its superficial simplicity.
In reality, we have good days and we have not so good days. What did not phase us a year, month, week, or even a day ago can suddenly having a profound toll in our day-to-day lives. What may have once seemed like a “glass half full” type of situation has festered and morphed into a desperate “glass half empty” circumstance. It is in these instances where our need to be in control gets the better of us, allowing us to stand in the way of our own progress.
We come to don a cloak of despair and despondency when we enforce our own timelines, which are in direct opposition to God’s. In these cases, it can basically feel like the “glass has become too big.” This is the precise moment when we have to take a step back and realize God has more faith in us than we currently have in ourselves. A situation may seem negative, but with God’s help in the form of grace, our perspectives can change. Trusting in Him essentially allows for a new point of view. We can come to embrace a positive outlook on seemingly negative circumstances. Perhaps God allows the negative situations to take place first so that we can develop a deeper appreciation for the good – like it is a lesson in the making.
It should be noted, however, that deadlines are not inherently bad when they are designed to achieve God’s work through us. When we let God in, His many blessings become abundantly clear. Actually, I used to feel guilty, as if God was bestowing me with too much when so many others appeared to be struggling with so little. Things were too good and I began to fall victim to a trap – thinking I was overdue for something bad to happen.
What I had to come to realize is that my plans had successfully aligned with that of God’s. These particular blessings were given to me so that I could do something with them in the way of helpings others. He was investing in me so that I could to be a positive influence in the lives of others, helping individuals see situations from a different perspective as God had so wonderfully done for me.
Thus, the more we are able to hand the reigns over to God willingly so that He can steer in our lives, the better off we are going to be. In other words, we need to openly accept His working presence in our lives. We should ultimately embrace a timeless deadline in our pursuit to win God’s approval and avoid seeking the validation of others.
Originally posted on July 29, 2019 @ 5:40 AM
