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One of my favorite things about being a teacher is the way my students see me. Although they can sometimes be brutally honest, they truly believe I know the answer to everything simply because I’m a teacher. This is especially true when it comes to matters of our school. They tend to think that I know the reasoning behind every decision that has been passed through our administration just because I work there. Problem is, I don’t have that level of clearance; I’m not an administrator. It’s hard for them to understand, so usually I answer using a phrase I stole from my coworker: “I don’t know; I just work here.”
As seemingly dismissive as it may be, it’s actually really revolutionized my outlook on how much control I actually have in my workplace which has really decreased my stress level. So much so that I use it in virtually every arena of my life. In fact, I have to remind myself of this quite frequently when I wonder about what God is up to in my life.
See, control is a mirage. It’s something we think we have and looks attainable, but when we get close enough to grasp it, we realize it was really an illusion the whole time; we really don’t have control over all the things we think we do especially when they involve things outside of ourselves. But the thing about being a Christian is that this is both a great thing for us and a really inconvenient thing for us all at the same time.
On one hand, we can rest in knowing that God has control over our lives, and this is good because He’s omniscient which is basically just a fancy way of saying that He is actually what my students think I am: all knowing. So, if anyone’s qualified for control, it’s Him.
Simply put, God says, “Relax. I know that you are worried about that thing, but your job is to choose to trust me, my job is to come through.”
The problem is, just because we know God has control doesn’t make us magically “ok” with the fact that we can’t change the things in our world that we would so desperately like to change. In other words, if your world is falling apart you can know that God is in control and still struggle with doing everything you can to anxiously try to right what’s wrong. Congrats, that would make you a normal human being. But can I encourage you today with a simple thought? A lot of times, the outcome really isn’t up to you.
Pastor Josh says a version of this so often that it reverberates in my subconscious from time to time (thanks, Pastor), “Obedience is up to you, outcome is up to God.” My favorite part about this is that it is simple, but it reminds me of what is actually within my control: myself.
Psalms 25:3a says, “No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced…” and it’s a concept that we see echoed throughout the entire Bible; the people of God who trust in Him and are obedient to what He is asking of them are not put to shame. That’s a promise.
Simply put, God says, “Relax. I know that you are worried about that thing, but your job is to choose to trust me, my job is to come through.”
So, when God calls us to do hard things like tithe even though we are already living paycheck to paycheck, sacrifice our time for other people when we feel like we don’t have any to give, love and pray for the person who is doing everything in their power to push us away, or God forbid, hold our tongue on Facebook, we can rest in the knowledge that we have control over that. We have control over our choices. We have control in whether or not we choose to give, choose to love, or choose self-control. As far as what happens as a result of that choice? Remind yourself of your role in the workplace of God’s Kingdom, “I don’t know; I just work here.”
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