Life Is Ever Changing
I think for the most part we can say our lives, as children, are carefree and confident. We do what kids are designed to do, in whatever way we are "shaped" to. We trust our parents and/or grand parents instinctively to love and provide for us. We bring nothing "to the table", so to speak, but have no fear of owing anything for what we are given.
Most of us spend years believing and trusting those who provide for us while we grow into the person we will become.
...Younger teens are still trusting loved ones to provide and make life possible for us while being completely self-absorbed and giving very little of ourselves in return.
...As life's lessons get harder and we get older, we become more self-reliant, but still self-absorbed, wanting to do things "our way and learn from our own mistakes", at least until the mistakes start to hurt us, then we start looking for someone else to blame.
...Ahhh, the blame game...it seems this is a favorite, until our own children start to arrive, then our focus begins to change. Actually it begins to look familiar, like deja vu, maybe. Let's not admit there is a state called, "'been there, done that'" save yourself some time and learn from our mistakes. We might recognize it, but let's not say anything yet, maybe no one else will either.
As each of life's transitions occur, we look back on the experiences of earlier stages and wish we could have spent a little more time in each one, maybe preparing a little more fully for what would lie ahead. We don't feel prepared to deal with grown up life.
If you are like me, and I'm fairly confident you are, you have not found it easy to trust the One whose chosen job it is to care for and walk through these bigger and more difficult life stages with you. It's difficult to understand "why?" when it makes no sense at all.
He tells us not to lean on our own understanding. Even though He has promised "never to leave us or forsake us", He tells us "I know the plans I have for you, to make you prosper, not to harm you." He calls us "friend." He says "Come to me if you have a heavy burden." "If I care for the birds of the air, and fish of the sea, so will I care for you." Even in light of the promises He gives, we still cannot fully trust Him.
He tells us not to lean on our own understanding. Even though He has promised "never to leave us or forsake us", He tells us "I know the plans I have for you, to make you prosper, not to harm you." He calls us "friend." He says "Come to me if you have a heavy burden." "If I care for the birds of the air, and fish of the sea, so will I care for you." Even in light of the promises He gives, we still cannot fully trust Him.
This is a major transition for us....to lean on Him and not ourselves. I'm still, in many of the changes in my life, struggling to trust, to "Stop striving" and lean on Him. In our small group on Sundays we have started an exercise on "Communicating with God." Journaling is a large part of the exercise and I enjoy it greatly. The exercise is not new to me, but sometimes I let life happen and forget I don't have to do it alone, or have anything to prove. I've long started my day by saying, "Father, don't let me do anything today that will not bring Honor to You." I will now add:
"Father, what do You want to tell me today"...so far His answer has been "Trust Me."
He is in every transition we make and is big enough to carry us through them. I invite each of you to communicate with God along with me daily in a quiet time and place.
I love each of you,
