I’ve written before about the struggle of letting go of control. Today I want to dig a little deeper into that, and what it can look like in our lives.
As an engineer, I like things to be efficient. I often try to plan my day in the most efficient way I can, to maximize how much I can get done. Things like crockpot cooking and laundry washing mostly handle themselves, once the machine is started. They can be making progress while I am working on other things. Similarly I try to cut down my trips to the grocery store by only going when absolutely necessary, and then buying everything I need at once. Things like these feel wise, and they aren’t necessarily bad choices, but there is an underlying stress that comes with them.
Would you believe me if I said we weren’t designed to be completely efficient? Yeah, that sounds weird to say. And depending on what you consider efficiency to mean, you may disagree. I’m not saying we aren’t called to be wise, but our sense of efficiency is often a sense of autonomy. By structuring our lives around efficiency, we seek to control our circumstances. The bible shows pretty clearly why this is a bad idea.
James 4:14-15 (ESV) – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
Life surprises us. We all know it; we’ve all experienced it. And sometimes the inefficient approach is the one that yields better fruit. For example, sometimes taking an extra, and frankly unnecessary, trip to the grocery store proves to be exactly what I need to get a breath of fresh air and renew my mind.
Looking at it another way, when I plot out my daily tasks, time in God’s word is always one of them. It’s easy to think, “I’ll start the laundry, then spend time with God while it gets cleaned. That way both are done at the same time.” However if I really stop and think about just who God is, the creator of the universe, the judge of all sin, then I remember that he deserves more respect than to be clumped together with “chores”. Spending time with him should start my day, not “fit into it”.
In both of these scenarios, my innate goal for efficiency proves to be in opposition with God’s good plan for me. In another example, with maximized efficiency we miss out on godly interruptions. A person in need, a challenging circumstance, twists like these happen in life all the time. If we close ourselves off to surprises, we close ourselves off to amazing ways God wants to work through us.
The truth is we aren’t designed to be fully efficient, we’re designed to be reliant.
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) – The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
God knows what we need, and knows how best to achieve it. He knows which of our prayers and dreams ought to be fulfilled, and how. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to live your life well and accomplished, but these accomplishments come from God, not our own plans.
This week I am taking the challenge upon myself to let go of my need for efficiency. I will seek to worry less about how to “best” get things done, and instead trust God to guide me. If I spend too much time planning, I won’t ever get around to doing. But if I trust in God’s plans, suddenly I become amazed at what he enables me to accomplish, and I believe that will prove true about you too.
Father God, thank you for the person reading this, and for all the blessings in their life. I pray that as they navigate this Christmas season, this time of COVID, and all the trials of our world, that they will open their hearts and lives to your influence. I pray they and I would be encouraged to let go of our control, and to trust in your plans even when they don’t make sense to us. For we know that your will is always good, your plans are never lacking, and you are never surprised. Thank you Lord for your great love for us, and all that you have done. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen.