James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”
Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
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These are two passages written by different men to different audiences within the church. James is a Jew writing to a Jewish audience who has been scattered (James 1:1), and Paul is also a Jew, but he’s writing to the Ephesians, a Greek audience. Yet they both focus on the Lord’s will rather than following our own. It is ingrained in us–at least those of us from Western culture–to have a plan for the future, whether it’s tomorrow, a year from now or 10 years from now. I am a list-making, planning type of person. When a wrench is thrown into those plans, it’s difficult for me to adjust. I’ve gotten better over the years, but I get so focused on a task that a deterrent can change my attitude like a switch. Unfortunately, that attitude change affects my family the most. These last couple of weeks, the Lord has been constantly reminding me to say, “If the Lord wills, I will do this or that.” Having a business where I want to maintain customer satisfaction (having been a people-pleaser my whole life), I can get too focused on that. There are deadlines and remaking items that failed the first time. But then the wrench is thrown. People are sick in the house, I need to help. Our water heater rusted out, I need to watch the kids while others fix the problem. Family goes out of town so there’s less time in the shop. Animals need to be fed. Basketball practice and games come up. In short, life happens.
When I stop to think and pray about why it’s so hard to let my plans go, I realize it comes down to one main issue: control. I want to control what happens so it is done my way in the timing I think it should be done. There are a number of “I’s” and “my’s” in that statement–and there lies the problem. When I tell the Lord He is the Savior of my life and trust Him, giving up control is part of that. Not that I am a robot, but rather, understanding that His ways are truly much greater than my own. In the end, I never regret it when I trust Him and hand over control because the outcome is always better. It may not be what I expect, or the outcome may not be known right away. But it is always good. As a parent, I’m starting to understand that more. I always want the best for my son even though he may not think I’m being nice all the time. He may be having fun doing one thing, but I know it will lead to danger so I tell him to stop. He may never understand why I’m so adamant, but I do. Doesn’t the Lord do that with us as our loving Father? I am reminded of a couple of passages (although there are many more):
Luke 11:9-13, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
Hebrews 12:7-11, “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Even though I may think that trying to fulfill tasks is no big deal, it becomes a matter of flesh versus Spirit when I can’t accomplish what I want and my behavior changes. It’s the negative changes that occur over time and the affects that those changes have on others that should make me pause and ask myself, “Am I putting the Lord first?” “Am I putting my family next?” “Am I demonstrating Christ-like behavior to those around me?” “Why is this making me angry?” “What is the outcome if I don’t finish; is it as bad as I think it will be?” “What does the Lord want me to do, even if it’s not what I want in this moment?”
Habits and mindsets are difficult to break but not impossible. If we want to strive to do the Lord’s will and fulfill what HE has for us, parts of ourselves need to be broken and re-shaped to become more like Christ. While painful, it’s for our good, and ultimately, for His glory. We may live in this world, but our focus should not be on the things of this world. If I don’t become who the Lord has called me to be, the only person standing in my way is me. The Lord is the good Father who answers when we call. Will we listen to His response?
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