To-do Lists and Losing Control

It was a transitional time for us because we were moving from the basics of responsibility to taking on more responsibilities and discovering new opportunities. As every new parent knows, new family life is kind of like a game of Jenga. All it takes is for one false move or one misplaced breath to make the whole kitten caboodle fall down in disaster. Can I get an amen?

So I told my husband that I needed a couple of hours one morning to get alone and do some planning and praying in regards to managing our home in anticipation for this time of transition.

I sat in the library and I read this verse,

"His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. " 2 Peter 1:3

Oh and I thought about it, and thought about it some more until I believed it wholeheartedly. God has given me everything we need for life and godliness. And then the Lord spoke to my heart about the why. Yes, I wanted and needed to do things a bit more efficiently in the home, but it wasn't so I could feel accomplished. It wasn't so we could do our own thing with the margin that I was seeking to create in our lives. The purpose was to have space in our lives for the other opportunities God had given us and to have the freedom to be more intentional in our relationships with one another and with others.

I prayed to the Lord, and I left the libray with clear direction for that season in our lives. I had pages of notes. I had schedules. I had routines. It was lovely.

The weeks passed, and everything has truly fallen into place. The temptation sets in to put my faith in my schedules and routines. The desire to control my environment sets in. But that's not how the story goes.

In Christ, we keep going on onward, trusting in Him for guidance. He offers it to us in so many ways. There's no one way to catch it outside of just staying close to Him. His sheep know His voice. He is not the author of confusion. He allows us to see clearly what He wants us to see and when He wants us to see it. Sometimes it takes waiting on the Lord quietly and still. Sometimes it takes waiting on the Lord as we walk out in faith as we continue to do the things that we know for sure that He has called us to do, and in time Jesus reveals that next step.

Whatever the case, I ask Him daily....sometimes several times daily, because I tend to get unfocused.

Lord, help me to be faithful to the work you have for me today; but that comes secondary to just being with Him bringing Him my struggles and listening to His Word for life and strength.

At the end of the day, in housekeeping and in life.

"Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." Psalm 127:1

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1

May we work according to the plans and purpose of our Master Builder. May we not tear down. May we not work for the sake of keeping busy. Lord have your way in us.