It’s a surprising, but true fact of life that often the
things that you put the least effort into are the most successful. This week, I
have been reminded again of God’s supreme goodness to me, through his amazing faithfulness
to aspects of my life that I have neglected. It is fair to say that, as a
teacher, there are numerous balls flying in the air around my frazzled head at
any given time. What with lessons to plan; parents to appease; children to
discipline, pacify or build up; marking to complete; referrals to make; matches
to organise; extra curricular clubs to run – I spend the 10 hours of my day in the school building
completely and utterly flat out.
Inevitably, the ball juggling act is impossible to maintain
at a constant pace and the occasional ball will drop out of your line of
vision. There are always balls that you perceive to be bigger and more precious
- the ones you feel the need to concentrate on… Perhaps the ones that are more
likely to crash catastrophically should you take your eyes off them. They’re
the ones that people are watching – judging your handling of with critical,
knowing eyes. Due to the enormity of certain projects on my plate at the
moment, I have, to my shame, neglected other, less ‘public’ projects – though ones
which would give God the glory.
… And yet…
It’s these that God catches before they hit the floor,
elevating them higher than you could even have imagined. I have been amazed by
His faithfulness to me this week, even when I fail to prioritise the things in
my life properly. Even when I work hard to please people instead of God, he
doesn’t give up on me, but helps me to recognise the hidden, surprising blessings in my life.
I have learnt once again the importance of leaning on God,
rather than relying on my own strength and ability to juggle everything successfully.
I have also learnt that sometimes, just sometimes, it is OK to be out of
control… to not have everything organised and planned perfectly. Because it’s in
these moments that there is space for God to break in and for His will to be
done. In this context, you are forced to
ask for help, because you simply can’t do it alone. And, by His almighty grace,
He will break in and help out.
I challenge you to take a look at your life this week. Think
about where your priorities lie (and where they don’t!) and where God is
keeping things afloat, through no real effort on your part. Find the time to
thank him for His awesome faithfulness and goodness to you. Give Him the glory
and watch what he does through these aspects of your life. I guarantee exciting
things will happen when you give Him the glory – just you wait and see!
'Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you' (1 Peter 5:7)
This really struck a chord with me Emma. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThat's no problem Jo - I'm so pleased that you were encouraged by it :)
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