I don't know about you, but I like to be in control.
I feel secure when everything is going my way, when I can control a situation, my environment, what my children are doing, who their friends are, what music they listen to, what they watch on television, whether we should be eating organic or not; it gets exhausting! But I still do it, I still try my hardest to keep a firm grasp on everything, hoping to live a harm-free, pain-free life.
It's impossible. And like I said above, exhausting. Over time, worrying and obsessing over every single detail in life only leads to upset, anxiety, maybe even depression. Not to mention, science proves that worry and fear can cause health issues! We try so hard in life to use our humanly strength to control what only God can control.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." ~ Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
I remember when Adam and I were new parents. Our son was only a few months old and we had hit a hard time in our finances. We were living on one income, I was a stay-at-home-mom and we were barely making ends meet. The weather at the time had begun to get colder and colder. And so we were, of course, turning the heat up a bit more and had space heaters running hoping to make it through what little bit of oil we still had in the tank.
I remember sitting on the couch with our now 10 month old baby boy as the sun started to go down. With the sun, the temperature of the house also started going down. I remember cuddling on the couch, not thinking much else of the situation. Then Adam got home from work and became very aware of the chill. The heat was no longer on. As time ticked on, the temperature dropped and dropped. It dropped so low, I ended up leaving to stay with a family member to keep the two of us warm while Adam stayed behind to try and figure out what was going on.
It didn't take him long to figure out that the oil had gone out. And with only a few hundred dollars in our bank account, we both knew there was no way we could afford to fill the tank to last us the rest of winter. Oil at the time was around $400/tank, it was expensive!
And so we began thinking of ways to get around our situation. We could ask family for money, Adam could get a second job, I could write more blogs. We brainstormed, cried, and tried our best to figure this out in our own power. We were exhausted by it, because every (seemingly) solution, just wasn't going to cut it. I remember crying for days, I was afraid we would have to leave our home and move somewhere else, my heart was breaking.
I truly wonder if God was up in heaven saying, "If only they would come to me. I'm just going to sit back and wait." And finally, we did. We prayed. We cried out to God. At that point in my mind I thought, why not, what could it hurt?
Adam had a savings account that he had abandoned after we had gotten married. Only because we had combined our finances, so he didn't have any need for it. When he had left it behind, he remembered it only having a few dollars in it. But for some reason, God had prompted him to check this random savings account a few days after our heat had gone out. A few days after we had tried, tirelessly mind you, to figure it out on our own.
In his savings account, he found the amount we needed, plus $1, to fill our oil tank.
Let that sink in.
This week's yoga journal prompt is:
What can I let go of?
What can you let go and let God? What are you obsessing over in life that you can't seem to find an answer for? What event, or situation, or circumstance that is flooding your mind at night, causing you to lose sleep - how can you rest in the power of Jesus, of an all-knowing, all-powerful God, and fully let go in surrender so that you can live a life of freedom through Jesus Christ?
Take some time to reflect on your life. On current, past or future situations that are causing you fear or worry, and take some time digging in the Bible to find truth that you can speak into your own life that will help you to rest and trust fully with all your heart, knowing that God has you in the palm of His hand (and He will never let you go).
Some ideas to help you think through this week's journaling prompt:
1. What does the word "trust" mean as it applies to your faith and belief in Jesus Christ? What would it look like for you to fully trust in Him?
2. Get crafty. Spend some time looking through magazines, finding pictures online, or drawing something that represents trusting in God. In your artistry, how do you tend to portray trust through color, shapes, figures, pictures, etc?
3. Write this week's Bible verse down in your journal (Proverbs 3:5). Meditate on each individual word of this verse. Dissect each word: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Write about your experience and what you found by doing so.
4. Go for a walk in nature. Notice how each living thing under the sky trusts fully in its creator. The birds, the trees, the flowers, the squirrels, they never fear the coming season. The trust fully and they never go without. How amazing is that?! After your walk, spend time jotting down your thoughts and how being in nature spoke to you about trusting.
Leave your worries at His feet, and trust fully in the one who made you. He's got this even when you don't.
Let's get you moving:
I encourage you to go for a nature walk (#4 above) and meet God through meditation on our week's passage. Talk with Him, and then listen for Him. Walk mindfully - one foot in front of the other. Breathe in the air. Touch the trees, the ground. Thank Him for His beautiful creation. Thank Him for life. Spend time with God.
After you do, share with me in my private Facebook group. What did you learn this week about trust? Simply click the link here and share!
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