God's way

Personal photo: God’s way becomes so much clearer and more beautiful than anything we could have ever created on our own!

I pulled the covers up to my chin, listened to the whirring of the fan above me, and tried to remain still in the darkness. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion but my mind failed to stop racing. Every time I felt sleep near, I found myself winding back up again. Did I just hear a noise outside? We need to pick up that thing at the store. Did the baby wake up? Why did my book end this way instead of that way? I think I might be hungry. I need to send that email. It wouldn't shut off. Minutes ticked away to hours where I couldn't rest, until after days of the same pattern, I crashed. I was so tired. I needed rest but I had kept getting in my own way. It stirred a prayer that I keep repeating as I begin and end each day.

I don't want to do this my way anymore, I want to do it God's way. Please show me your way, Lord.

I find that some seasons of life carry more questions than answers, more learning than practicing. As I look through my life so far, I see many chapters of this, where I found myself looking for guidance, needing help, and trying to figure it out as I went. We take new jobs, we trust new people, we live in new places, we try new sports or clubs or hobbies, we change schools, and so on. It seems as soon as we get the hang of it, something changes and we have to start back over. And often times during these seasons, we can let go of God's hand in the midst of looking at our own roadmap. We find ourselves in a fog, stumbling from one thing to the next, but not really sure where we should go or how we should take care of ourselves along the way. It is then that we can remember this prayer of submission. Our way is never better than God's, never clearer than the view from Heaven, never more purposeful than what He has planned.

Submission to God and to our faith in Him is one of the hardest things we can ever practice. It's difficult to pause to listen for His whisper, to feel His hand brush against our heart when we are rushed so often. Proverbs 3:5-7 explains that we are to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." When we first seek God, we are granted clarity and peace with the direction in which we grow. The Lord has an amazing way of guiding, teaching, and loving us as we adapt to change after change, as we exhibit vulnerability at every step. When we submit ourselves and our ways to His, we soon begin to feel better, to get the hang of things, to adjust a little better, to be more patient with ourselves and others.

As I mentioned above, we are vulnerable in these moments of uncertainty. When we aren't sure of at the right answer, the right direction, the right next step, the devil tries his hand with us. He attempts to lure us to a false hope, a mirage of safety. In this way, we can recognize how critical it is that we abandon our own logic for the trust in God's protection and guidance. Romans 12:1-2 states "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Recognizing that we need to let go of our preconceptions and put our faith not in this world, but in the almighty Lord allows us the ability to see His path for us much clearer, hear His voice much more often. Submitting to God empowers us as workers for His kingdom, prepares us as children of His, and strengthens us as warriors for His glory.

Our way is never as good as God's way. When we recognize this, we have the chance to reach out for His hand, find it there, and follow in His footsteps. John 7:17 tells us that "If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority." This verse promises us the clarity that we often lack when we try to do things on our own, in our own fashion. It begins with our desire to submit to the Lord and His plans for us, and then it creates in us the wisdom to recognize when something is not directly from God's roadmap for us.

Losing ourselves in the newness, the adjustments, the unfamiliarity is not a reason to feel shame. Rather it is an opportunity for us to cry to the Lord for His firm and gentle guidance. The best part of it all is that even when we let go of God's hand, all we have to do is reach back out for it and He will still be there for us. His comforting companionship makes the uncertain more comfortable, and the new a bit more familiar. When we find ourselves overwhelmed, overthinking, and overtired, we can pray for redirection in our lives and submission to God's way. I am confident that then we will be able to rest, to reset, to do better!