Sometimes I think God needs my help, that the Ruler and Creator of the universe needs me, the frazzled mom in the SUV, to help Him get ‘er done. Laughable, yes?
Do you do it too?
I seek God’s guidance in my life and earnestly pray for it: Lord, keep me in Your will. I trust Him and I know His plans are more perfect — and certainly more well-informed — than mine.
But our timetables aren’t always the same, and therein lies my trouble.
My thoughts sometimes sound like this: Lord, I think I see Your ultimate plan here, so I’m going to nudge things along to help You out. Maybe we can resolve this a little faster, okay?
And surely God shakes His holy head at my foolishness, my misconceptions, my lack of faith, my failure to trust that He is in control. My intentions are good. I mean well, really I do. But in rational moments, I know there’s nothing I can do to assist God.
He doesn’t need my help.
We’ve heard the stories of how helicopter parenting harms children. God doesn’t helicopter parent us, hovering overhead, over-controling or overprotecting. Sometimes He allows us to either spin our wheels or bounce off of obstacles-of-our-own-making, like whiplashed drivers in the bumper cars at the county fair.
Some of us are slow learners.
Trying to assist God is not only unnecessary but exhausting.
Jesus tells us:
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” {Matthew 11:29-30}
Jesus offers us rest, a lighter load. When we shoulder responsibilities that were never ours to bear, our burdens weigh us down.
I’m writing to myself as much as to you, offering us four simple but radical steps to change our hearts and heads:
1. Let go of the notion that you need to fix your church, your friends, or your husband; deal with your own faults.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” {Matthew 7:3}
2. Serve without expecting to be served.
“And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” {Matthew 20:27-28}
3. Love freely, for God loved you when you were unlovable.
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” {Romans 5:8}
4. Forgive easily, as God forgives us for Christ’s sake.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” {Ephesians 4:32}
Err on the side of grace and mercy, ever-thankful that God grants them to us.
by Dawn Camp @ My Home Sweet Home, editor and photographer The Beauty of Grace
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Dawn,
I just had to smile when I read the beginning of your post, and I said out loud, “Me too”. Silly us. So many times I have pridefully thought, God’s plan could use a little tweak just about here or there. What I am learning, more and more, is that more often than not, God needs me to simply get out of the way so that He can work. Not, that He can’t ever work through us or use us to accomplish His sovereign will, but I do believe I get in the way more than I help sometimes. All I have to do is look at His word and just how many times the Lord says things like, “be still” and “wait”. More than my help, He wants me to abide in Him and wait expectantly for what He is about to do. Wonderful post to start my day!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Bev, I love this! You finished my thoughts for me: He commands us to be still and wait—expectantly!—not to get in the way.
I love this. Stop trying to fix, serve, love and forgive. So simple and yet so profound. These 4 steps are going up on my wall. Thank you!
Grace, I need them on mine, too. Thank you!
Dawn,
Thank-you,
This post is a good reminder. I know I have enough of my own flaws that I don’t need to try and be the fixer of others’. And so often when something is not right, people’s initial reaction is, “Why isn’t someone do something about it?” When what we need to do is remember to leave it with God, because he’s already got it covered.
Penny
Yes, ma’am, he’s already got it covered! 🙂
Amen. Such a wonderful reminder!
Dawn, I so appreciate your words here. Yes, I’m an SUV-driving, trying-to-mother-well mom as well. I try to politely give God some pointers on how to direct my steps. Yes, then I come back to the reality—and the restful place—of remembering GOD’S plans are always best for me. Yes, they may be similar to what I’m hoping for, but on a different timeline. His timeline is always best too.
I am amazed that He allows us to help Him with some things in life. I often have to come back to remembering what His role is and what my role is in each aspect of my life. And then stick to my roles. 🙂
Loved your four points. All are ones I can work on. And this? “Err on the side of grace and mercy, ever-thankful that God grants them to us.” Such a great encouragement. Thank you, Dawn!
Dawn,
Loved the title of this blog! God certainly doesn’t need our help, but we tend to want to fix things. My biggest problem is wanting something fixed or changed NOW–not when He’s ready! Just love the pointers.
I always serve and never expect anything in return. I must remember that God continually loves me even when I’m not lovable. In that I must love and forgive easily as God does.
Like Bev Said God wants us to be still and wait–hard for an impatient person like me, but I’m working on it!
Err on the side of grace and mercy, ever-thankful that God grants them to us.
Great encouragement!! God Bless 🙂
Thanks for giving us a few steps we can concentrate on when we start to get ahead of God. Waiting can be hard, but God’s timing is perfect because He knows in the waiting there is preparation and refinement we can’t get to any other way.