Monday, July 31, 2017

Monday Morning Memo: Only God is God

If there is one thing that I’ve learned in my life, it is that just when I think I have things figured out…I realize that I don’t.  Just when I think I see the puzzle pieces falling into place, someone or something rearranges them.  But if I look at things realistically, I’m pretty sure that that is just “life” and at my age I should be used to it by now!

I’ve been thinking the last couple of days about how I usually react when a change or detour occurs.  Sometimes I handle it well, but there are times when I think I spend way too much time overanalyzing every detail.  I tend to be a teensy bit of a perfectionist (ok some of you can stop laughing now), and as a result, I feel the need to pick apart the reason for every change.  “What caused this to happen?”  “What did I do wrong to bring about this detour?”  “What incorrect decision did I make to blow God’s entire plan for my life, causing Him to have to totally redraw the blueprints He had for me?”  Yes, sometimes I’m a little “over the top”.

But another thing I’ve learned in my life is that I am not alone in feeling this way.  I talk to a lot of people, and quite often I hear them say similar things.  Their words may be different than mine…but often their underlying theme mimics mine.  In essence, I often hear them say, “Well I really blew it this time when I made the wrong decision and now God is going to make me pay the price.”  

The problem with this type of thought process is that we often tend to fear every decision we make.  We stew and fret and pray until our knees are calloused, but still put off making decisions because we worry that we will make the wrong ones and God will be ticked at us.  I think it is good for us to not always rush into making plans, but there comes a time when we need to trust God, knowing that He knows our heart and wants the very best for us.

I recently came across this graphic and as soon as I read it, I laughed out loud.  Oh how good it was for me to be reminded that if I think I have blown God’s plan for my life, I need to rest in the fact that I am not that powerful!  In other words, I need to remember that I am not God.  Only God is God and He is so powerful that He can accomplish in me and through me whatever He deems best…even when I make a wrong decision or mess things up.  Again, He knows my heart and if I have prayed for direction on something in my life, there comes a time when I need to take action and move forward.  If it ends up being the wrong decision, my God is powerful enough to still accomplish His plan, even with my mistakes.

Are you berating yourself today, feeling like your decisions or actions have blown God’s plan for your life?  Allow me to let you in on a little secret:  you are not God nor are you that powerful.  Whatever you have done, He is mighty enough to still accomplish His plans in you and through you.

Are you putting off making a decision because you are petrified that you will make the wrong one?  I want to urge you to take a deep breath and relax.  Spend time in prayer, asking God to give you direction, and then move ahead.  He knows your heart and can see that you want to do His will and so even if you make the wrong decision, He can still work everything out.  Yes, it may mean that you will have an unexpected detour or the puzzle pieces will need to be rearranged.  But in the end, your life’s picture will be absolutely perfect because God is just that powerful!

And we know that God causes everything to 
work together for the good of those who love God
and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28



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