Sweet Peace

Oh, you need a friend to overanalyze a situation for you? You need someone to overthink every possible scenario for an event that has not even occurred yet? Do you require someone to make a list of all of the possible outcomes, highlight, and cross-reference them to similar scenarios that have played out before? Well, great, hire me I am your girl! Being organized, particular, and intentional is a rare trifecta. Some thoughts swirl around in my head that I am sure only a fraction of the world's population think about. For example, I am always cautious about where my pupils are located in my head. If I find myself tilting my chin down too much, I know that shows too much of the sclera (the white part of the eyeball). If I lean my chin too high, I tend to look sleepy or uninterested. So, I always try to keep my chin parallel to the ground. Weird thought process, I know! I have just been slowly embracing the way I am and accepting my strange yet positive contribution to the world. This unique personality type demands a ton of self-discipline and control.

It would be an absolute breeze for me to snuggle up with a cup of coffee in one hand and my iPhone in the other. I could spend an entire morning on social media diving into someone's feed looking into their past relationships, favorite hobbies, and family history. Before you gasp and call me odd, internally admit, you have done it too. We want to know everything and we want to have all the information so we can control the situation. Relinquishing control is a challenging thing to do. We do this on a small scale when we entrust our mechanics or hairdressers, but there is always this backlit thought of, "Do they really know what they are doing?" I have been on both ends of this spectrum as the costumer and as the professional. Let me tell you; there is always hesitation when you let go of your grip on the reins. Do you know how hard it is to trust human beings? We can touch them, see their emotions, even take collateral, and we still pause before a decision. So relinquishing control to The Lord is major for me.

Romans 8:28 King James Version (KJV)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Through hardships and trauma, it is almost impossible to understand how all things work together for good. As time passes, we begin to see how beautifully His plan unfolds. I continuously remind myself that nothing is a surprise to The Lord. The heartaches, the pain, the suffering you are going through is part of a larger plan created by someone who is even more intentional than me! So to be completely transparent, my need to plan and overanalyze is being challenged in a struggle I know I will not win. In order to have true sweet peace, I have to release the nail mark indented grip I have on the reins of "my" life and trust in The Lord.

1 Peter 5:7 King James Version (KJV)

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

This short devotion might just be for me and me alone, and I will have this to refer to in other difficult times. Although, if you feel like you are in a situation, that might be overwhelming, give it to The Lord. Sweet peace will be obtained by giving The Lord total control. No petitioning, no lists, no suggesting alternative routes. We are all clay on The Potter's wheel, and although He may add painful situations we do not want or take away things we hold dear, we must acknowledge His timing and trust His process.