Let it Go!

The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:8 

Such a promise.

But do we really believe it?

Do we believe it for those we love?

When in nursing school, I worked in the learning center/library. Often, when not needed to assist another student, I would sit in the librarian's office and chat. One day, I told her of a house for rent across the street from the school campus. "This way, if my car breaks down, I can still walk to class," I told her. She listened patiently.

Then, as I paused long enough to give her a word, she said something that rings in my ears whenever I begin to spiral today: "I see you like to borrow trouble for yourself."

Perplexed, I asked what she meant, and she explained that my idea of planning ahead for every contingency was, in effect, fretting about events that may never happen. 

I confess, I didn't take her words as a gentle warning; I was convinced that I needed to plan ahead. Consider every possible outcome and prepare. Predictability was obviously not meant to be part of our family's story.

By the time I started my first nursing job, I was having panic attacks I'd never dreamed possible in my life. Emotionally, I was in such a downward spiral that I considered sending my RN license back to the state, telling them they'd made a mistake in allowing me to take the boards.

Like the poem Footprints in the Sand, I can look back and see the path. In fact, every quarter would end, and I would hear the words in my heart, "You still don't trust me, do you?"

Footprints in the Sand: Courtesy Google Images

He had proved time and again that He would be with me through every day, every test, every triumph, and every failure. And yet, I panicked when I feared what might lie ahead.

I am certain I wore people out. I couldn't see beyond what I could control.

This is not about getting sympathy.

It's about taking control back through total surrender.

Opportunities to trust--entrust--our lives and the lives of those we love have presented themselves. (It's a life adventure for us all.) Every morning, I would pray, "Lord, I will trust you with ___. You do all things well." And through the day, I would experience peace as I waited on Him to do what He does best. On Friday, however, although I prayed the same way, believing every word to be true in my heart, I found myself growing more frustrated as the clock ticked away the day. Nothing went according to plan. And at the end of the day, I was angry.

I had no control over any of it.

Saturday, after sitting in the soiled mess of my frustration, I spent time listening to the soul cry of one of my loves. It was so beautiful and sincere. And then I heard Him in the depths of my soul, "You said you'd trust Me with this."

That I did. What I had forgotten to do was to surrender my right to control the situation. And here's the truth: I am incapable of changing my mind, my desires, or my attitudes without His intervention.

Behavior modification is temporary. Transformation by the work of the Holy Spirit is eternal. (John 15:5)

Surrender is our only option. Chasing the illusion of control breeds anxiety.

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. Be NOT wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I searched Google to find the official definition of the word entrust. I came across many dictionary sites, each saying some version of the same thing:

1. Assignment of responsibility: to give someone the duty of caring for something important or valuable.
2. Transfer of authority: To give someone the responsibility or authority to handle an action or task on your behalf.
3. Conferral of confidence: To place trust in someone's character or ability.
4.  Legal context: To legally assign funds or property to someone for management.
5. Delegation: To delegate responsibility or authority to a person considered reliable.
6. Faith placement: To assign a task or duty based on one's belief in the ability of another.
7. Symbolic gesture: To signal a bond or agreement based on mutual trust.

Dictionary.com 

In Scripture, we are often told that we can entrust ourselves to God's care:

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 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.
2. Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
3. 1 Peter 5:7 ... casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
4. Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
5. Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear/' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
6. Philippians 4:6-7 ... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
7. Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
8. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
9. Isaiah 41:10 ... fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

He is more than able to care for our needs. He is faithful and trustworthy. 

Until next time, find your rest in total surrender. 

💜 Karlene J 💜

Hope in a Hopeless World

Proverbs 4:23 HCSB

Dare I say it?

I am angry.

Why, you ask?

How one human can mistreat--abuse--another with little to no remorse. And the more troubling thing I hear is that behavior is reasoned away by cultural norms, rather than morality or what is good and right. When we strip society of a moral compass, saying "live your truth," we in effect dispense with the definition of right and wrong.

It's a slippery slope. 

We may not agree on which color is best for the kitchen walls, or what flower has a more soothing fragrance. Candles or diffusers? Electric cooktop or gas? Charcoal or propane grill?

We can disagree and still be friends.

However, cultural or societal norms should never be the plumb line of morality. Some cultures allow men to have multiple wives, while others don't. Some cultures teach their children it's okay to lie if it means you get what you want. Our nation is being ripped to confetti by the attempts to enforce tolerance while being intolerant of disagreement.

I see it all over social media ... and in my own backyard. And the symptoms of society tell me it's only going to get worse before we see any resolution.

So let's talk about the resolution. If we don't, I believe we could sink into the slimy pit of anxiety.

Let's begin with truth:

We ought to follow a plumb line.  But society is trying to nullify its significance in our lives.

SCRIPTURE! 

It's the one collection of books that tells us there is One who has defined right from wrong, evil from good.

So I will leave you with some text. It's a lot. But breathe in His word--digest it, trust Him and His goodness. 

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

John 16:31-33 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey His voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and god of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 24:9-14 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering--since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:36-39 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Until next time, cling to the Lord Jesus Christ!

💜 Karlene J 💜