Our family recently felt that God was asking us to move to the Western suburbs. We decided to be obedient and look for a house in the West of Adelaide. Unexpectedly we were released from our lease on a Monday, we looked at a house on Tuesday night, applied on Wednesday morning, got it the Wednesday afternoon. We moved on the Friday of the same week.
Proverbs 31 Woman - Not
I would love to tell you that I handled all of this with complete peace and grace. It would be great to say that I sailed through moving with a smile, knowing that God had it all under control. I would love to say I was the perfect picture of the Proverbs 31 woman. (Look her up, she's amazing)
If I did say that, It would be a lie. The tension between knowing it was definitely a God thing versus my natural need to control everything was a struggle. Not having enough time to pack and organise made me anxious and cranky. I was grumpy and insensitive to people who were genuinely trying to help.
God Doesn't Need My Help To Run The World
There's an old saying in the Christian world, "Let go and Let God." My version tends to be "Let go mostly while still hanging on to part of it and trying to control it and then let go, but just ask God every now and then if he needs some help with the situation - because you know he can't run the world without me helping"
I Don't Do It Better
The thing that frustrates me so much about needing to control everything is that when I let God handle it, it's always better. I gain nothing by trying to control it all, except for a headache and a sick feeling in my stomach. I don't do a better job managing my life when I try to do it all in my own strength.
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Sometimes as Christians I think we make that verse into one that suits us. We change it into, everything is good if we love God. Except it doesn't say that, it says all things, the good, the bad, the ugly, work together for good for those who love God. According to his purposes.
I actually find the real version of this comforting. If my heart is right and I am genuinely seeking after God and his purposes for my life, he can work it all together for good. It isn't necessary to control everything or get it right all the time. I can trust that God can work in every circumstance, even the ones that are difficult.