Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Serious: Living in God's Presence

I read something this morning that encouraged the reader (me) to focus on living in God's presence...right here, in the present. To get out of problem-solving mode, out of the planning mode, out of the "go go go go go" mindset I get stuck in is a challenge.

What does it look like to practically live in God's presence...in the present? Truthfully, I don't know. I know it has to do with releasing control and not playing the "what if" or "if only" game. In case you're unfamiliar with those games, the "what if" game focuses on things that might happen in the future, while the "if only" game focuses on things that happened in the past.

For example:
What if we all get in a car accident on the highway?
What if we lose income?
Or even, on a smaller scale: what if the kids don't nap well?

OR, If only we'd have invested in Apple 30 years ago.
If only we'd have learned that lesson from other people's experience, rather than on our own.
If only I'd have bought a lottery ticket - those were the numbers I'd have chosen, right?

The common denominator in all of these silly examples is that I would be trying to control everything around me. Really, so little is within my control. It seems the tighter I grip control, the more I play these two games - and I get fearful for the future and have regrets about the past. I feel burdened: to be a good wife, a good mom, a good daughter, a good sister, a good....(you fill in the blank.)

But.

Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain you." This is what I'm trying to learn to do as I juggle through life. Cast my burden on His shoulders. He can take it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

thanks... well said!

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