Jen’s Gem: Let go and let God.
If someone were to ask me what I did this summer, sadly my washer/dryer saga might take center stage. This past week, the gaping holes in my ceiling were repaired. Additionally, my “rock ‘n’ roll” washer/dryer unit was set straight and was purred like a kitten on laundry day.
I was doing the happy dance and I mean this sincerely. I had a Cheshire-cat grin on my face and easily gained back the ten years I lost over this laundry dilemma whose sole purpose was to make me cray cray. Popping in one load after another brought back memories of laundry days past when doing this simple chore was just that. Simple.
Then, out of nowhere I heard a rumble. “No, it can’t be,” I murmured to myself. Alas, it was. My rock-solid washer/dryer was ‘Rocking the Casbah’ as The Clash song goes. Another call to the appliance repairman and the saga continues. Stay tuned.
I don’t know what caused the machine to lose its balance. Was it the load of towels? Was it the gravitational pull of the earth? This week’s solar eclipse? I have no idea and honestly I’m growing weary of trying to figure it out. I didn’t go to school for appliance repair despite my high school aptitude test noting that I should be a plumber. (Did I miss my calling?)
Every day we get thrown out of balance, don’t we? Circumstances arise that move us from our true north and steal our joy and peace. Rinse and repeat this a few thousand times and we get so off kilter that we struggle to find our way back. Those of us with overactive minds lean towards finding the logical explanations for our “Tower of Pisa” lives.
Why God? Why? Why does this circumstance or that event keep happening? Why can’t I get myself out of this energy-draining, joy-stealing, peace-threatening obstacle?
Here’s what I’ve learned about these mountains that each of us face every single day:
- We’re staring at the mountain when we should be staring at God. Read more.
- We’re talking about the mountain 24/7/365. Read more.
- We’re trying to make the mountain go away by ourselves. Read more.
From day one, God intended us to live in relationship with Him. He did not create Adam and Eve and then abandon them to figure out how to live on this earth all by themselves. Nope. God Himself came down in the ‘cool of the day’ to fellowship with them, teach them what they’d need to know to prosper and live the life He’d planned for them.
God gave this dashing duo everything they’d need to be successful, to be in balance every day. All was well in their Garden of Eden world until the enemy came to steal that balance and rob them of the great plan that God had for them. Spoiler – he’s still doing it to you and me.
Washer dryer dilemmas. Job stresses. Money problems. Illnesses. Unfair treatment. The list goes on and on. I’ve written and spoken about John 10:10 a b-zillion times, but it really comes down to this very simple tenet. Satan is a thief. God isn’t. Satan wants us out of balance. God doesn’t.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
I could try to figure out why my washer/dryer is out of balance once again, but that’s a waste of time. I could ponder this and try that, but it will only sap my energy and throw me so out of balance that I hit the floor. Or…
I could trust God. I could put this nuisance circumstance into His more than capable hands and let it go. I can declare that God has His hand on this situation and I don’t need to worry about it anymore. I could laugh at the devil when he tries to shake me to my core (and my washer), causing me to lose my balance.
These are the decisions we must make every single day, sometimes every minute, yes? This is why the apostle Paul told us to “pray without ceasing.” Anytime our peace, joy, balance gets a push, we need to push back and declare “God is still on the throne and He’s got this!”
A simple “Help me Jesus” uttered during times of stress is all we need to do. This act of surrender, of trust is more powerful than we know. This statement tells God that we need His help and we can’t do it alone. Once we give up this control, He goes to work. Legions of His angels come to our rescue. His power is unleashed.
Don’t handcuff God. (Click to Tweet) Don’t micromanage Him by telling Him how to solve your problems. His way is not our way. It’s way better!
Nothing throws God out of balance. Nothing. Trust Him rebalance your life today and every day.