Handle

Handle

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

WHY CAN’T LIFE just go along smoothly like I planned?! I thought as I sat down on a Monday morning after a weekend of unexpected mishaps. Willing myself to open my Bible, I instead sat for a few moments, pondering how often life takes twists and turns I have no control of.

Being able to keep things within my ability to handle them is something I wrestle with too often. It’s a topic that regularly comes up in Scripture, but not in the way that it’d suit me as a means to hang on to my nice little life, wrapped up with a pretty red bow slapped across the front.

No, my trying to handle everything is often asked to be laid down—willingly—trusting in God who has promised to take care of me and all the little bits and pieces of my life.

But all too often I find myself clinging to my desire to want to handle everything and everyone around me—including my husband, my kids, my circumstances, myself, and anyone else within arm’s reach of me (whether they like it or not). But what I’ve realized is that trying to manage everything often has the reverse effect. Instead of freeing me from worry or dread or fear, handling everything often just leaves me exhausted, stifling myself and everyone around me.

I begin to read how the Lord is a strong tower. My strong tower. All I have to do is run to it. I visualize myself running to that tower. Giving my control and my desire to want to handle everything on my own over to a force much greater than I, telling myself that I don’t need to handle everything in my life, I just need to remember to always turn to the one who does.

Our lives may never be perfectly wrapped up and far worse things may come our way than the trials we face today, but joy and peace can still be found when we turn and run to God. When we choose to cling to the truth of these words, we can choose to let go of our desire to handle everything and let our control rest with him.

Lord, give us the courage to bring to you all the things we are trying to handle ourselves. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: What have you been trying to handle that you should give to God? How can you give that to him?