Inspirational Thought of the Day:
We can let go because our God never lets us go.
Scripture of the Day:
Psalm 55:22
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
I am a creature of habit. It’s actually a part of trying to live a disciplined life. And while I have a morning regimen that I try to accomplish each morning, alas, something is going to get missed. That bugs me. But it also humbles me to realize I just can’t do it all.
Next to wanting to live a disciplined life is the desire to be safe. I know, the two don’t exactly go together, but they are connected by a similar premise: the need to let go.
As I reflected over my life recently, I realized how a big part of who I am is being “careful”. This part of my personality is so built in that I have actually never been stung by a bee. Yep, I know. My kids don’t know how I accomplished this feat. But if you were to see me outside when a bee comes buzzing around, you’d now. The display of my antics would also make you want to run.
The goal of being “safe” and “careful” aren’t necessarily bad goals in and of themselves, but if they keep us from living a full life, or hinder growth, then it becomes a problem. This week the LORD showed me that my desire to be safe had an ugly root that needed to be dealt with: “trust”. Maybe next to that root is another one called “control”.
The list could go on and on of the good and bad motives behind the desire to be kept safe. The consequences behind not being careful can be downright painful. Who wants that? Back to my chief motivation of wanting to be safe – safe from pain or causing anyone else pain. (P.S.: Just want you to know I am lying down on a couch while I type this. In the LORD’s counsel. I know I have issues in this area).
Going to the opposite end of the spectrum would not help things, either. We need to care and not become apathetic or careless. But while being careful is really a part of my makeup, I am learning to do my part and then trust the rest to God. Walking in wisdom protects us, but at the end of the day, we have to let go and trust the LORD.
When our carefulness is due to a fear of the unknown, it can cripple us and cause us to shrink back into our shells until we give our cares to the One who knows all. He already knows the outcome. He is enough to heal our hurts and cares even more about us and our sorrows than we do.
We can let go because our God never lets us go. We can trust Him even though the world is so uncertain. We can approach our post-traumatic selves and tell ourselves that God can heal us and we can re-learn how to rest again. Trust again. Care, but place it all in God’s hands at the end of the day.
Lord, thank You for caring about the smallest details of our lives. You are so much bigger than any problem we face. Help us to trust You and walk in wisdom.
Denise, I like how you said “We can let go because our God never lets us go.”
As you shared about your desire to be safe from pain, it reminded me of the Prayer of Jabez that I pray pretty much daily–Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10 Another translation says “keep me from evil that I might not experience pain” (the pain of evil). I often pray it like “Keep from from evil, from practicing evil and from the evil one; that I might not bring pain upon myself, or on others, or on You {God}. It’s a humbling prayer that reminds me daily that I (and my own sin) are often the causes of my pain (and the pain I cause to others or to the Lord); but it also recognizes that we live in a fallen world and there is evil all around us that can bring pain upon us or those we love and finally, that there IS an evil one (Satan) and that i/we need to be aware of his evil…because it will cause us pain.
Can’t believe you’ve never been stung by a bee! I’ll tell you my bee, hornet and yellow jacket stories sometime. LOL!
Revised
Denise, I like how you said “We can let go because our God never lets us go.”
As you shared about your desire to be safe from pain, it reminded me of the Prayer of Jabez that I pray pretty much daily–Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10 Another translation says “keep me from evil that I might not experience pain” (the pain of evil). I often pray it like “Keep from me from evil, from practicing evil and from the evil one; that I might not bring pain upon myself, or on others, or on You {God}. It’s a humbling prayer that reminds me daily that I (and my own sin) are often the causes of my pain (and the pain I cause to others or to the Lord); but it also recognizes that we live in a fallen world and there is evil all around us that can bring pain upon us or those we love and finally, that there IS an evil one (Satan) and that i/we need to be aware of his evil…because it will cause us pain.
Can’t believe you’ve never been stung by a bee! I’ll tell you my bee, hornet and yellow jacket stories sometime. LOL!
Jeff,
The prayer of Jabez is at the foundation of all I do. May God extend this territory as it pleases Him. It is interesting to note that some references cite that Jabez’ name actually means “He will cause pain”. Evidently his momma was a little bitter from a painful delivery. Isn’t it neat that his very prayer was that he wouldn’t? No matter what our background, God is able to redeem it and use it for our good and His glory. While pain has been something I feared for most of my life, I see now that God is with us in whatever trials come. This is an interesting website on the etymology of his name: http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Jabez.html#.WM-s7BLytsM