I've Got This!

It's so easy to say "I trust God".  Really, truly, I want to trust Him with all my heart.  How beautiful would it be to just relax and say "Ok, Lord, this is yours.  I will find my rest in you"?  It would be wonderful!  The issue is that I keep getting distracted with all the stuff that isn't going right, and how (I) can fix it.  Well, here's some history about me.  I was raised primarily by my mother, a very strong woman who fought for what she wanted and was determined to be independent-even after my father left us.  She raised 3 girls, struggled to pay a mortgage and send us to private school, and she drilled certain things into us: 1) If you want something done, do it yourself! 2) Don't ever be the type of person whose phone call causes the person on the other end to wonder "What does she want this time"? 3) Trust a man as far as you can throw him.   Ok, so you see at least part of the reason I struggle with relinquishing control?

During my marriage, Mike has had to fight me to allow him to handle things-and sometimes to take care of me.  Trust just hasn't been my area of strength.  Maybe it's because deep down, I feel that if I give someone that power, they also have the power to break my heart--and The Lord knows my heart has endured a lot of breaks.

One of the many things I truly love about God is that He knows my fault lines.  He is well acquainted with the pain my heart has endured, and the fact that I really fight to keep loving, and even learning to trust people.  But most of all, He knows I do love Him more than any person alive, and although I haven't "arrived", I am doing better in these areas than before, by His grace and tender mercy.  I just have to keep reminding myself of what God says in His Word, and that unlike man, He CANNOT lie, so trusting Him is like writing that great big check without any thought about whether or not the funds are there to back it up.

Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take Him at His Word.  Just to rest upon His promise, and to know "thus saith The Lord"!

I am facing some really critical situations in my life, and I can't say that I even see a clear path to success in these areas.  I have cried what seems like a river over pain that I wish would end, but I keep coming back to a few things. Firstly, no matter what I face, God is with me, and no challenge (good or bad) makes Him any less God.  Secondly, the joy of The Lord is my strength.  If I can focus my vision upward, toward Him, I will maintain peace even in the midst of the storm.  And lastly, because of Romans 8:28, I understand that because I do love The Lord, and am the called according to His purpose, all things work together for my good, so even when I don't look or feel it, I'm cool!  I don't have to handle things on my own.  I have a real Father who is Faithful and True, and I will finish this race strong!

When you feel really flustered and want to fall apart, remember that if you are a child of God, He's got you!  And He cannot fail!