Dishwashers & presidents

Remember that kid in grade school that wanted to be the next President of the United States?  I didn't (and still don't) relate in any way. I can't imagine shouldering that kind of responsibility.  I am thankful that the economy, our troops, our health plans, and the many other decisions that lie on the presidents shoulders, don't lie on mine.  I seriously can't imagine the stress involved.

I am also incredibly thankful that Jesus Christ sits on the throne in Heaven - and in my life (on the days that I let Him).  Lately, as I have been asking God to teach me how to pray, I keep coming back to the Lord's prayer.  I pray through it slowly every day and am amazed how relevant it is in every area of my life.  Recently as I was praying through it and asking God to ease some tension I was feeling, I realized that giving in to stress is pretty much kicking Him off the throne.  On this particular day I was replaying a conversation and hoping for my desired outcome.  What if it doesn't go my way?  If _______ happens, it will all go downhill.  And it hit me - it isn't up to me, THANK GOD!  He is the one who shoulders the responsibility of the details.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we don't have to make responsible decisions or submit ourselves daily to Him.  What I mean is that if we are truly submitting ourselves to Him - begging God to do His will and not our own, then we can rest in Him even when things are going exactly opposite of what we think is best.

This morning as I was reading the book of John, this verse caught my eye.

"As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

I imagine that if I was the parent of the blind man mentioned in John 9, I probably would have been praying for a totally healthy baby from the moment I knew I was expecting.  I would have done everything in my power to make sure that he or she was healthy.  And, I probably would have spent at least some time worrying about what would happen if he wasn't born healthy.  I would have been devastated when my precious baby was born with such an extreme condition.  I would have been begging God for healing every second of every day.  Not only that, but I would have been beating myself up wondering what I did wrong to make him this way.  If I am completely honest, I have done this myself in regards to my daughter Avonlea - who's eyes were totally crossed at a very young age.  Did I eat the wrong things during pregnancy?  Was she not getting enough milk as a newborn? Did I miss a few too many prenatal vitamins?  Even after numerous doctors told me that it had nothing to do with anything I did or didn't do, I still tried (and sometimes still do) to shoulder the blame.  Could it possibly be that "this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in (her)"?  Avonlea wasn't miraculously healed - although, praise God, she was able to undergo a surgery  which has helped tremendously.  But in faith I believe that God is going to use her precious eyes (and any other weakness - known or not) , to bring glory to Himself.

Then, there are the smaller things.  Like broken dishwashers.  They never seem to break after you've put everything away - but typically after you've had people over for dinner and couldn't possibly cram another dish in if you tried.  It probably sounds silly, but when our dishwasher broke last night I asked God to heal it.  I believed with ALL of my heart that he had the power to do so.  I woke up excited to see what he had done.  And, guess what - the dishwasher was totally full of water that wouldn't drain.  For once, I am not upset.  When I prayed last night I said "God, if I was on the throne I would fix this dishwasher overnight. And Lord, I ask that you fix it - and believe that you can.  But, I am not on the throne - so, if there is some reason why it is broken, then I will choose to trust you anyway."  So this morning, I am excited.  What does God want to do?  Is there a plumber that needs to hear that Jesus loves him?  Am I going to find a you tube video that teaches me more about my pipes?  Is He really going to help me trust Him - even when things are going so different from what I hope and expect?

I am really thankful that I am starting to recognize that choosing stress and worry is like kicking God of His throne.  I hope and pray that each time I find myself heading in that direction, I will say - not my will but yours be done.  Please, Lord - stay on the throne of my life.  I KNOW you'll do a much better job than I could ever do!