Just a thought

I was thinking yesterday. That was a mistake. I nearly hurt myself... smoke coming out the ears and everything. None-the-less, I think I thought some pretty good thoughts. So here they are:

1. There is a God.

2. I'm not Him.

Now, I can't claim that I came up with these thoughts on my own. Our Pastor up here in PA, Pastor Joel, has used these two statements numerous times in his messages. For me though, I never really took the time to apply what that meant on a daily basis. I often think to myself, "Self, what would you like to do today? Do you want to work today? Maybe watch a movie? Catch up on season 2 of Lost? Ooh, I have an idea, how about a bike ride? Or a walk with your wife? Maybe a nice dinner out? Self, what do you want to do today?" You see, I know there is a God - a big God in the heavens that keeps an eye on us, cares about us, loves us. I know that I am not Him. I know that I'm not in charge of the universe. All too often though, I think I am in charge of me.

I make plans. I set goals. I pursue dreams. I eat. I sleep. I eat some more. I take jobs. I leave jobs. I offer jobs. I meet people. I talk to people. I ignore people. I make decisions. I avoid decisions. I ask other people to decide for me. I worry. I complain. I exercise... ok, I just threw that one in to make myself look good.

I

am

me.

Sadly, I often look to me for direction.

An interesting thing happens though when I start asking God those questions. I find that as I look for his direction, I lose weight. No, not physical weight. I wish. That would be the best diet plan ever. "Just follow God's direction and you'll be skinny and attractive!" No, when I say that I lose weight, I mean that I lose the heavy burden of wondering what comes next. When I trust God for direction, I lose the weight of my priorities, my goals, my expectations and recognize that it's all in His hands anyway. I can rest in Him and pursue His goals for my life. I can rest in Him and pursue His dreams for my life. I can rest in Him and take jobs, make decisions, love my wife, watch movies, take walks, eat, sleep, run, even exercise... ok, let's not get too carried away.

So, I guess that for me, I need to add a third point to Pastor Joel's mantra:

1. There is a God.

2. I'm not Him.

3. I'm better off this way.

The sooner I recognize that the life best-lived is the life lived according to God's plan, the better off I will be. When I look to Him for guidance every day in every moment, the burden of my mistakes, my misdirections, my miscalculations, comes sliding off of my shoulders. I find true peace in following Him.

Matt