Day 2
Author: Nick Powell
June 09, 2020
What has
God been teaching me in this season? That I'm not in control!
Currently
there are -many- things outside my control, and I’m acutely aware of it! I am
not alone in this feeling - because of that loss of control, many of us
struggle with these fears. We may have fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of
violence, fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of the loss of a job, fear for
the health of our loved ones, fear of loss of financial security, perhaps fear
of endless isolation and loneliness, and many other things.
In addition
to those fears - maybe even exacerbated by those fears - we struggle with our
own sinful natures, with our character defects. I certainly do! Perhaps even
more than usual, we struggle with being Angry, Controlling, Judgmental -
perhaps we struggle with Perfectionism, Lack of Boundaries, Isolating,
Jealousy, Ungratefulness, Procrastination, People-pleasing, and many other
issues. As a friend of mine likes to say, "People who say they don't have
issues give me issues!".
Insanity is
doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome -
thinking we can control circumstances, people, places, things, even our own
sinful natures using willpower - by trying harder in our own strength. MY
desire to control - my anger to try to fix things and people – the problem is
actually me! Projecting my fears onto others. My fears, my hang-ups. I'm the
problem.
But with
His help I can change. The antidote to my delusion that I am in control, is the
reality that God is in control. He's in charge of the outcomes. That's God's
responsibility. I can respond in faith or fear. What am I afraid of? In those
fears where would God be? In my anxiety and fear, I pray for the faith to
believe God. Like the boy's father in Mark 9:24 - "I
do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Even in my fears and doubts, I
believe Him because of the things I have seen Him do in my life. I know I can
trust him in the small things and the big things. I have a choice of how I
react to circumstances.
While we may
not have the power to make ourselves or others change, fortunately the only strength
we truly need is to believe in God's power! Jesus told us in John 6:29,
"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent". That is
it - that is all! He is the one that will do the work. His power is infinite.
Our part is - that we just have to show up, keep surrendering, keep turning to
Him - and don’t ever quit! He will do the hard work of transforming us. That is
what He does. As we learn to surrender our struggles and fears to Him, as we
lean into Him, as we let Him transform us by the renewing of our minds, as we
surrender ourselves to obedience and trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit.
This
journey is about transformation. Truth overrides the lies or doubts we tell
ourselves. We need to learn to be "reasonably" happy - accepting circumstances
as they truly are. Accepting others as they are. Not trying to control them! We
need to let God be the one to control our circumstances. We need to accept
responsibility, stop blaming others, examine ourselves. Peace comes from
choosing those things. As we surrender to God, we will discover that He gives
us new life - that He makes a new heart of flesh in us!
What
Scripture has stood out to me? As I face my fears, and the fact that there are
many things in this life that I cannot control - I invite you to join me in
accepting what God told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.". And let us
also like Paul say, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me".
Jesus loves
you just the way you are, but He is not willing to leave you where you are.
Trust in Him, surrender to Him, lean into Him. He will give you peace through
the fears of this journey. Serenity indeed!
Come Holy
Spirit!
Prayer
God,
grant me the serenity
to
accept the things I cannot change,
the
courage to change the things I can,
and
the wisdom to know the difference.
Living
one day at a time,
enjoying
one moment at a time;
accepting
hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking,
as Jesus did,
this
sinful world as it is,
not
as I would have it;
trusting
that You will make all things right
if
I surrender to Your will;
so
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and
supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
(The
Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr)
Nick Powell

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