Unshackled Moments ~ February 20, 2018 ~ The Little Things

Sometimes it's the little things that drive me crazy. It's strange. Someone I love very much gets cancer and I am able to completely trust God in the situation and rely totally on Him, but the stupid electric bill has me twisting in the wind trying to figure out how to manage it, control it and  get the cost down. With the former, there is nothing I can do. I can't even pretend to have any part or control in someone else's cancer recovery, which makes it easy for me to give it to God. With the latter, I did everything I knew to do, could figure out to do, and when it failed, broken and beyond able to  do anything more than I had done, I cried out to Daddy for help and gave it to Him.

How quickly did I give the situation to Daddy? When things begin to overwhelm me and begin to damage my calm, how quickly do it I turn to Daddy, ask for help and begin to give the situation to Him? Do those sound like good evening review questions? I thought they were. But last night I realized that I asked the wrong question. The question is not how quickly do I let God have the things that begin to overwhelm and go beyond my ability, but rather why didn't God have it in the first place?

Now, please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that like, God, why did You let this happen? No, this question goes more to heart of statements like God helps those who help themselves. You may have heard or read me contradict that statement before. God doesn't help those who help themselves. He helps those who know they are needy and can't help themselves. Though I know that, I still somehow slipped into the mindset that I need to manage and control the things I can and be quick to give God the rest.

But Jesus wants all of me. He wants all of you. He needs to the Lord of our free time and our daily responsibilities as much as He is Lord of the crisis and the storm. When I forget that I act like I run my life, except the areas I can't handle, and then I get outside management for that part. We are given the ability to think and what I call some creative freedom. But we work for Him. He runs the show, the whole show of my life. He is the director. He sets the place where I stand, the lines I am given, the lights, every aspect of the play of my life is to be given to His control and direction.

A wise manager delegates and gives authority to those under him or her to do their part of the work, but no matter how much freedom an employee has to make their own choices, there are directives and guidelines, parameters, that are set and within which the decisions are to be made. What we do, all of what we do, is ultimately for the efficiency, purpose and furthering of the Kingdom. It's all for God's glory and to either directly draw others deeper into relationship with Daddy or to do so indirectly by keeping us in a place of total submission to and reliance upon Him. We must be faithful to give Him control of the little things so that we aren't tempted to try to manhandle and manage the bigger things.

How I care for my home and my animals is as important as how I care for the person who comes to me for spiritual guidance. Why? Because when I walk faithfully under His management in the little things it ensures that I stay in His will and there is no hesitation to do it His way when the obstacles and difficulties come. When we turn our will and our life over to the care of Daddy, it's our entire will and entire life. There is nothing that is to remain mine. It is all His to do with as He wills and to direct the how, why, when and every other aspect, so that all of my life, from free time, to chores, to relationships and work can be a demonstration of His love, His power and His way of life.

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