This is a very popular scripture verse that I find myself turning to when my life is not going the way that I had planned. Although I continuously attempt to center myself upon God’s Word, I keep finding myself struggling to remain steadfast in reflection upon these words. I, like many others, find it difficult to let go of my own attempts at personal control in difficult situations. Uncertainty is burdensome. It can be painful, even torturous, to linger in the hallways of the unknown. So much so, that the stress undermines the peace that God desires for all of us.
Some of us have mastered the art of patience. Others, including myself, lack patience. When answers do not come immediately, we take hasty action on our own accord.
At one particular time, my career was so demanding that I felt nothing was left at the end of the day for me or for my children. I was weary. I prayed and waited on God. I prayed and waited some more. To my despair, there was silence. This uncertainty lingered for weeks until one day, I couldn’t stand the overwhelming sense of desperation that it was causing any longer. I made what I felt was the logical choice and relinquished control of a large aspect of my ministry. I reasoned that I would still be able to serve, albeit at a limited capacity, which would free up time for me to be the mother that I believed I should be. As a result, I thought I would now have time to fulfill parental responsibilities, living a life directed towards the needs of my children. As you can probably predict, the situation did not turn out quite like I had expected. It turns out that teenagers don’t desire the quality time that I was willing to give with all of this newfound “free time.” Furthermore, I had not calculated how bad the self-inflicted pain would be from letting go of something that I had complete passion for. There were days that I literally had to pick myself up off the floor for foolishly abandoning a calling that God had placed upon my heart. I thought I needed to give up my passions, efforts, and, ultimately, my calling, in order to be a good and present mother. However, the truth was that I had now become the absolute worst version of myself.
Many times, these actions lead to unnecessary turmoil that could have easily been avoided through silence, prayer, and trust in the Lord’s presence.
Be still and know that I am God…
In reflection, I found myself to be more present, healthy and emotionally available when I was juggling multiple ministry projects. I believe that we are our best selves when we are living a life that reflects God’s calling. Instead of waiting on the Lord for the next steps and trusting that He was capable of directing my path, I made my own decision, and, in turn, experienced heartache that was completely unneeded. I now understand that I can be the mother that I want to be by living within my calling through Christ.
When we live within what God has called us to do, then that passion tends to radiate and become a beacon of light for all that surrounds us…including our children. When we rely on our own comprehension, we limit ourselves to the scope of our own perspective and cannot see what God has in store for each of us.
There are times God will enable us to make uncertain decisions without giving us a clear path because He wants to teach us that we have been given the mind of Christ and the spirit of discernment. But this step should always be preceded by intentional prayer and trust which gives the Lord the authority to guide our decisions every step of the way. When we put our trust in God, then we are leaning on “His” understanding which causes the direction of our lives to bring honor and glory to Him.
Your fellow Able Mom,
Donna Shaw
Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us guidance and preparing a path for us. Help us to grow closer in our relationship with you. In our day to day endeavors, may we remember to put our complete trust in you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Unshakable: How often have you prolonged the opportunity to live in God’s truth and walk in the path that he has set for us by impatiently paving your own path? Connect with Donna: weakdayministries.com weakdayministries@gmail.com Don't miss our version of moms-night-out every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CST - laugh with your Able Moms team live on Facebook (Not an Able Mom Member yet?) Join us! Start here AbleMoms.org Follow Able Moms on IG at https://www.instagram.com/able_moms/