Hit upside the head

August 27, 2005

How many times are we simply walking through our day, and we are knocked upside the head by something totally unforeseen that just knocks the wind out of us… and we just have NO idea where it came from.

Have you been hit upside the head lately? Have you run to the well of peace that will take care of all the heart and mind fall out that results from this experience??? ME NEITHER!!! Or… have you taken it all to him a few times, or a few hundred times, but are losing heart as things just don’t seem to get much better???

I think that these occurrences are perfectly normal, but our tendency is to try to wrap our brains around them and figure out WHY!!! If we can figure out why… then maybe they can be avoided the next time.
What if the point wasn’t to spend all our energies avoiding the unforeseen???? How much time do I spend trying to guard against those things that I CAN’T control??? It’s like that little Al-Anon prayer that we’ve probably all heard.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The strength to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.

(I know I’m probably not quoting that correctly… but it goes SOMETHING like that.)

What CAN we change???? What do we need to fight tooth and nail for or against, invest in, withdraw from, and change our perspective about?
What is out of our control that we need to grieve the loss of, not take the responsibility for, accept and take one day at a time???

I think that there are too many people who do one or the other… and very few who know the healthy balance away from both extremes. Either we take EVERYTHING on, it’s ALL our fault… we’re in charge, and we call ALL the shots. OR… We give up total control of our lives to “chance” we don’t look towards the future, we don’t plan, we give up easily, we feel helpless, afraid, and we let everyone else take the blame for everything that is going wrong in our lives.

If you’re like me… you might even go back and forth between the two… but not in a very HEALTHY way.

What do I do when I’m hit upside the head financially, by that WACKY phone call from my MOM that propels me 15 years back into the past in only a 10 minute conversation? What do I do if my friend’s mom is in a sudden car accident and they don’t know if she’ll make it or someone’s dear relative passes away suddenly? What about my friend’s husband who has done EVERYTHING humanly possible to land himself a job this fall… and has prayed his GUTS out for a job… and NO JOB??? What about a friend's child that is going through chemotherapy, or some other horrific health issue that doesn't seem to be getting better at the moment? The list could just go on and on.... What do I do when I feel like there is NOTHING I CAN do to help the people I love, to change my own life, or I am completely caught up in trying to change EVERYTHING on my own??? Here is a little truth!

Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for You. 1 Peter 5:7

Be anxious for NOTHING but in EVERYTHING through prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds. Phil 4:6-7

If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

He can handle us, and LONGS to handle our stuff. God knew about the car accident before it happened, he knew what would be said on the phone with my mom, He knows everything that is about to happen NEXT week, as well as every single thing that has happened to us, and our friends/relatives since the day they were conceived AND BEFORE! Not only does He KNOW…… HE CARES.

So… what am I flippin’ out about that is COMPLETELY out of my control right now??? What IS in my control??? As much as I think I can handle stuff on my own, I don’t know ALL the details, like HE does. I don’t know myself the way HE does. He is waiting for us to cry out to Him.

Once again… bear with me, I know I’m butchering this… but this little hymn just came to mind, and it is giving me chills. Let the words, familiar as they are… sink into your heart.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and grief’s to bear,
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
Oh, the peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.