An Open Palm

I tend to be a "planner". I like to be organized and check things off a list. That's the way I am the most efficient: making a list and allowing it to direct my day.


The problem is, with this many people living in this house, the potential for "variables" to crop up every moment of every day is very real. And that really messes with THE LIST! Which can be extremely frustrating to a list maker.


Enter: Holy Spirit


Proverbs 19:21:
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

So, how does that change things for me?

The Lord showed me that I was not trusting Him to direct my path. That doesn't mean: don't make lists. It does mean that when the unexpected arises, my response should not be irritation. I should simply view it as "course correction."

The Lord explained to me that I am to hold all my resources (time, schedule, sleep, finances, etc.) with an open palm before Him, instead of trying to hold on to what I thought those things were supposed to look like. "But Lord, I can't do THAT (as I point to God's List), I'm already doing THIS (as I hold up my list)! I won't have enough __________ (fill in the blank with a resource like time or energy or whatever it is that day) to do that!"

Guess what? I am not supposed to define "enough".

I am supposed to allow Him to define it. When I hold resources with an open palm, He is free to spend and replenish them as He sees fit. When I hold them with an open palm, I have peace trusting Him to fulfill His Promise to provide for my needs. If I don't have the resources to accomplish something on my "list", guess what? It's not supposed to be on my list. At least not for that day. The Lord always provides us with the resources to accomplish what He wants us to do. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

If I know to the marrow of my being that He WILL accomplish His purposes, why wouldn't I let Him "drive"? He is much better at it than I am and He can certainly see a lot farther down the road. 

Perfect example from last night of the fact that I STILL don't always get this right:
Kregg asked me if I would please take a couple of hours this morning and paint two deer blinds.


In my mind I'm thinking, "WHAT?? We have school in the morning! The morning is when we get all of the 'hard' subjects out of the way!! If we don't do those things in the morning, it is SO hard to get them done!! Besides, I don't WANT to paint deer blinds!" Anyway, you get the picture. It wasn't pretty inside my head. I was not happy because deer blinds were NOT on THE LIST!!


Guess what we did this morning?

And it didn't hurt a bit!! And my list didn't "self destruct in 10 seconds". And my sweet husband was very grateful!!