I recently finished a Christian novel. The author has a note at the end of the book that I enjoyed. What she said echoed in my heart.
I want to be someone who trusts God and overcomes. To be strong I need to learn to trust God, believing He is and that He is able. I also need to trust myself, the decisions I make and my ability to handle difficult times or situations.
This reminds me of the adage on my wall. Trust God. Trust Yourself. And do the dishes. Trusting God sounds so big and so profound but is something a little child does easily without guile.
Trusting yourself is a little harder and requires more trust in God than you would think.
The last part is the hardest. Doing the dishes seems simple, but it stands for all the mundane things that I need to do, that I am responsible for doing, that I need to trust God that I can do. This includes reading my bible everyday, praying everyday, seeking God’s kingdom first, or even going to work and doing my best everyday, regardless of pay or the attitude of those around me.
This is hard to do because it is not just a moment in time. This is not a great thing to be admired by all. This is quietly going about my life so that people will see my God working in me and want the peace, serenity and strength that I have. (What strength? What peace? What serenity?)
But I also need to learn how to ask for help. There is no shame in that. Actually, it is the sign of a mature Christian to be able to ask for help and receive it graciously. My personality is not the best for this. I began my journey down “independence way” a long time ago. Probably since birth!
I heard from my mother how hard it was for my grandmother to give up her independence. And how even harder it was for both of them for my mom to sit and hold her mom’s hand to tell her it was ok to let go. To tell her to go on ahead and see Jesus and her sweetheart who were waiting on her.
I’m not at that point but sometimes it feels like dying to ask for help, even just for prayer. I feel like I have to do it myself. But God did not mean for us to journey in this life alone. He meant for us to be connected to other Christians in small groups, church services, friendships and service. So, I am working on asking for help this year, for prayer, for guidance and for relationships.
I need to forgive those that I felt have let me down. Sometimes I feel that God has let me down. But I need to move on, forgive and rebuild those relationships. That one song always gets me here. I will choose to forgive and not waste the time I have with others here in this life. I have precious moments every day and those are moments given to me. I will not let petty things get in the way of loving those around me.
So here, today, the Lord is my strength. He gives me strength when I turn to Him in prayer and I choose to live my life with Him. I will trust Him to give me the strength I need for today.
Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the LORD–he is my God and the God of my ancestors.
