"She was delighted in seeing her plan upset by unexpected events, saying that it gave her great comfort and that she looked on such things as an assurance that God was watching over her stewardship, was securing the accomplishment of His will and working out His own designs...(whatever the obstacle or interference) she was joyfully ready to recognize the indication of God's ruling hand and to allow herself to be guided by it."
So said Elisabeth Elliot in one of her books of someone called Janet Erskine Stuart. I copied the passage into one of my little homemade books and though I liked the notions conveyed in it, I don't think I ever really understood them. Until the other day.
I've instituted a little morning routine where I do different chores each day for an hour or so, and last Friday little things kept interrupting, so that the hour stretched into two. Then as I was finally making my breakfast, I found a moth hiding under the mini blinds and spent some more time trying to kill it/get it out of the house. And I thought about how things like that moth, that you don't expect are always popping up and why is that? Why can't things just go smoothly? It seemed to me that the Holy Spirit answered, "So you'll know you're not the one in control of things."
And suddenly I saw it. Well, of course! And not only am I not the one in control, but I need constant reminders of that fact. As I've mentioned before, it's all too easy to get caught up in all the things I've got planned to do. Suddenly the schedule becomes the master and all those things take on way more importance than they should.
Today I got another lesson in that. Today the neighbors had the roofers over to remove the old shingles in preparation for putting on a new roof, and they brought their dog over to our yard while the workmen worked. Hercules is a nice dog, cute, friendly and full of energy. But there were all sorts of little interruptions, concerns, and adjustments to be made as a result of having him here. Somehow I didn't even finish my chores until after lunch. And only got in three of my arm exercise sessions. And no work on Box.
But there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ and I refused to let myself take a guilt trip over it. Instead I thought of the moth and reminded myself that nothing really depends on me. "Faithful is He who calls you and He will also bring it to pass." Or, as Job says (23:14), "For He performs what is appointed for me, and many such decrees are with Him."
And today's events served to remind me of those facts.
Grace,
Karen
