Meaning to the Madness

Maybe you have already made this correlation, but I am discovering that worry and control go hand in hand. When I pretend that I am the one in control, worry creeps in the side door without initially being noticed. If I were in control, then there would be reason to worry, but thankfully I am not.

The other night I dreamed I was taking charge of someone else who was acting crazy – I screamed at them to sit down and shut up. The person didn’t even care, they just kept going. I think I am like that sometimes when God is trying to get my attention. I bet He would like to say that to me when I am assuming His role in my life but instead, He is patient with me and waits for me to let go and allow Him to resume His position. Then, He steps in, and everything is better than I could have ever imagined on my own. In His perfect timing.

All it takes is a new perspective. When I woke up from that dream, that is exactly what I had, it was like a switch flipped inside me. Then I remembered, checked my journal, and sure enough, I had prayed for a new perspective the week before. Now I am praying to keep this perspective because it is easy to let it slip away and fall right back into the same patterns. I just need to remember that EVERYTHING is in God’s hands.

I know God does not need me, but I am so grateful that He wants me.

Our purpose is to glorify God. Our calling gives meaning to the madness and purpose to the pain.  What we do, blesses us and others on our journey. But our priority is seeking God and glorifying Him in everything.

Bezalel is a name in the Old Testament you may not be familiar with, I wasn’t until recently when I was listening to Exodus on my Bible app. I was curious about the person God chose to make the framework, and all the materials for the Tabernacle, including Aaron’s cloak.

God chose him specifically to do this important work. What stood out to me was that “The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 35:31, NLT emphasis mine). God did not choose him and then say go figure it out. He equipped him to do the work by giving him the talents, gifts, and knowledge to do it. Just like Bezalel, God will provide everything we need, equipping us with every gift, talent, wisdom, and knowledge to carry out the mission He chooses for us. God has us covered.

This gives us freedom to stop worrying. In our quest for truth – in God’s Word – we find love. I heard one time that it is impossible to worry and thank God at the same time. Give it a try and see what you think.

“The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. Then he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock” (Ps. 27:4-5, NLT, emphasis mine).