Things I Thought…

Ever say “I can’t get by without ____ or I can’t live without _____”?

Things I thought I couldn’t live without: a paycheck – until my husband’s business failed – we had three children at home – I didn’t work. We’re all here.

Air conditioning – until being at ground zero for two hurricanes three weeks apart – no a/c for many weeks. We survived.

My mom – until she passed away – she was my strength, my sounding board – she’s with Jesus. I’ve taken her place in our family.

Even with all this I still have these ‘I can’t’ thoughts. They sometimes loom large and I let fear or dread cloud my view. We know all the life stories in the Bible are for us to learn from, see the hand of God mightily working in. So I’m thinking that when Adam & Eve had to leave the garden of perfection their first attempts must have been accompanied by I can’t. Noah’s wife surely said ‘I can’t’ when the ark didn’t see dry land for days on end. Jonah actually did say ‘I can’t’ – in the end he did – and then he gave up again. And so it goes right through the New Testament and 2000 plus years later.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26 NIV)

In God’s economy adding a single hour to a life is a little thing, and we cannot even do that. Maybe we can be more like Joseph – who was sold by his brothers, enslaved, imprisoned. But he was not forgotten. God was with him. And when he did the very little thing of telling Pharaoh his dream’s meaning, he found himself elevated to power. Joseph chose faith over fretting, waiting over worrying, and trusting over trembling.

Maybe our very little thing, this thing we can do, is do the next right God thing. No more letting tomorrow threaten our now. Instead, letting go and letting now be surrendered into the all capable Hands.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:5-6 NIV)

When clouds block the view, the Son is always shining above them. He will break through and your forever is guaranteed. I want to change my lingering I can’ts to He can and He will. What are your I can’ts?