October 18, 2005
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I got this on a morning devotional I receive. Boy can I relate to this:
Why I’m Quitting, by Rubel Shelly
God, there’s just not enough room for both of us to be in charge of my
life. It’s not that I haven’t taken the job seriously, mind you! I have
fretted, laid awake nights, and worked out the most detailed and
wonderful schemes. The problem is not with the planning and scheming.
It’s with the “control” thing. Or, perhaps I should have said, the
lack-of-control thing. I don’t really have any.
Oh, I know. You have repeatedly told me that you are competent to be in
charge and that putting you in charge would relieve me of worry. But I
seem to enjoy it. The fact that I’m worried about tomorrow seems to
tell my sick soul that I somehow have a semblance of control over it.
But I don’t. I just don’t.
Then there’s the mess I make of things. The worried-over plan begins to
be put in motion, one of those things or people I can’t control comes
into play, and the bus runs into the ditch! I try to press on. I try to
force outcomes. The ditch gets deeper, and the pain begins to come.
Even so, you show up and offer to take control. You ask me — without
ever forcing things — to turn loose of the wheel and trust you to
steer. Sometimes I want to let you have control. I really do. Then
something wells up inside me that makes me push you away — to tell you
I can do it all by myself. Truth be told, I’m often thinking that just
as soon as I get this thing out of the ditch, then I’m going to ask you
to drive. Unfortunately, I never do.
Then there are the people on the bus with me. They are always the
people I love most and for whose welfare I care most passionately. When
I drive, then wreck, then push you away, I sense their disappointment.
Even that, however, hasn’t been enough to this point. It kills me to
know I’m hurting them, but I still want to steer. I want to be at the
controls. I want to be in charge.
The time has come to try another approach. Oh, it’s not that I want to
be heard saying that your way is the way of last resort for me. Or
maybe it is. But I’m just so tired. And bunged up. And you and I both
know things aren’t getting better with me in charge. So that’s why I’ve
made up my mind.
God, I’m quitting. No more Mr. Know-It-All. No more having to be in
charge. No more playing like I know more about myself than you do.
You’re in control from this point forward. Heart and mind and body.
Family and personal. Career and social. Thursday as well as Sunday.
It’s all yours now. I resign as co-regent!
And even if you were (understandably) reluctant to take over after the
mess I’ve made to date, I’m warning you: From now on you’re God — and
I’m not!
———
(c) 2005 Used by permission. From Rubel Shelly’s “FAX of Life”
printed each Tuesday. See Faith Matters
<http://www.faithmatters.com/> for previous issues of the “FAX of
Life.”
Comments (18)
How true that is!!! Our old flesh always wants to control things.
Amen amen!! great post again!
I seem to want to be at the steering wheel however it is very frustrating…
OHHHHH how true is that…………………………….GREAT POST!! GREAT DEVOTIONAL…..
I know many times I felt that spank saying ok…..LET ME GUIDE………………..
amen!
BIG HUGS have a FANTASTIC DAY!!! GOD BLESS
Things do ulitmately go better when He is in control! It just doesn’t seem like it along the way. Very good line of thinking here. The other day you asked about books for your daughter. I recently ran into someone who reads voraciously. ChristianFictionQueen I have been amazed at the things she has read. You might check with her if you are still pondering about your daughter.
Tim
I can relate to this post, also. In fact, it describes my attitude quite frequently! Thank God for His patience and His “gentle reminders.”
Mmmm–good food for thought. Maybe hitting a bit too close to home for comfort, here–LOL. Thanks for sharing it.
Great post!!!! Happy Wednesday!
=)
((HUGE HUGS)))
Thank you for caring. <3
xo
wow, that was so relevent! Thanks for patiently continuing to comment on my site! you’re like the xanga wonderwoman! pretty impressive. There’s a rumor that i’ll have more time in a few weeks and can be more active on here.
Hope you’re doing well and you’re push to “let go” will continue!
To reply to your message that you left in Judah’s weblog. Just by briefly browsing your blog, I’d ray you light up a room right now! God uses us even here and now, despite whatever preparation we may lack.
Karli
Thanks for your comment! I have to ask, has your daughter read the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn? I started reading that series when I was 13 or 14 (freshman in high school). It’s an excellent, wonderful Christian series that follows Christy as she grows up and deals with things like school, peer pressure, and romance…all with a good solid Christian message that gets the point across without being pushy or, as you said, “preachy.” I really think they’re great books to grow up with.
Hope you have a great day! God bless!
Excellent devotional, by the way. Thanks for sharing!
AMEN! I quit too!
good evening! clever post there! i havne’t had too much time to post lately, so i’m trying to catch up with everyone. it’s amazing how far behind i feel if i miss a few days on here!
hope you’ve been having a good week and things are going well for your family as well!
I think all Christians can relate with this one. Here Lord i give this all over to you…no wait…yes i do…no…well , ok..yes all of it to you and…well let me have it just for a little bit and then you can have it back…ok wait…we sound like the children of Israel, repeating history. I believe control is one of those human characteristics that is really hard to overcome, we feel safer if we are in control, when in fact we are much safer when the Lord is. Like learning to ride in the car with your child driving, there has to be a lot of faith at work there. God for sure knows much more than we can even imagine, and His experience in these matters goes beyond the total amount of years that the world has been in existence. So trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him…and He will direct your path….God is Awesome..yer ol bro..)m(
Amen
hey heather, i just stopped by to check in on you today and wish you a nice weekend. hopefully you’ll get time to stop by and read my entry for featured grownups today. i posted it on friday and will leave it up for the weekend. i try not to miss an opp to reach out, you know, just like you! take care, love, bette