Have you ever noticed that it is hard to hold your hands completely open? Then when you relax your hands, they begin to close naturally...
I was thinking about this fact, and I can so relate this idea to my trust in God. In recent months, I was in a place of pure devotion to God. Placing my hopes for my future, my goals, my dreams, my desires in the palm of my hand with God fully in control of these items. When things seemed to be "going good" I listened to the Lie that Satan spoke, "you can put your guard down. You have this in the bag".
As I began letting my guard down, I noticed that my grip on the situation started to change. Just as when we relax our hands, they start to close. The more my hands closed, the more crazy the situation seemed to appear. Things were not working out in a way that pleased me.
This change created a catalyst of change in my heart. I lost grip of, not only the item that I wanted most, but also on perspective. When I thought that I was taking control, the more I tried to grip onto my wants/hopes/desires/etc the more everything slipped through my fingers.
This catalyst of change has forced me to reexamine my worship. Where do I place my hopes? Is it in the thing that I want? Or is in God, the creator & perfecter of my faith? So just like holding my hands completely open has times of difficulty (tiredness, pain, weakness), so is my walk with Christ. It takes specific attention to keep those hands open. It is not natural. But neither is our walk with Christ. It takes specific attention to keep his commands & walk in His truths. It is not natural to behave this way, as we are all born as sinners.
BUT (now that's a big but), we are promised that "[he] has plans for you. Plans prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope & a future" Jere 29:11. But this promise exists that[we] will seek [him] and find [him] when [we] seek [him] with all [our] heart. He will reveal His will for our lives - if we keep our hands open so much to let him take care of all the plans. We can sit back and relax, but we must also just strive to keep the hands open.
Hi Sarah-
ReplyDeleteI'm so encouraged to read how your growing in your sanctification! In light of your struggles and the struggles of the world at large, God doesn't always make sense. But I read that the Bible instructs us to approach God with fear and trembling,befitting our awe at His majesty and love. We should focus on who He is, what He has done, and what He expects of us. Scripture mandates that we seek and embrace God's truth and I think true Christianity is about a vertical relationship with God, first and foremost, and allowing that relationship to shape our relationships with others. I think your on the right track!