Take it!

Here lately it seems as if life just won't slow down.  We are in a constant whirlwind of activity between work and school and church and ball games... and of course squeezing in bits of time here and there for family and friends, not to mention chores and errands.  As I was rushing around the other day, this song started playing, and I found myself unable to move on as I listened to the words. 

In those 2 minutes, God absolutely spoke to my heart.  In all truth, I was moved to tears right there in the park with my daughter as I realized the trap I've been in once again.  You see, I am a person very much like the Israelites in the days of the Old Testament.  These treasured children of God would be on the right track, on fire for their Lord, but the next day, whoosh!  They were sucked right back into a life of sin, running on their own will, in their own strength, only to fall flat on their faces.  Once down, they would ask for forgiveness, get back on track, and the cycle would begin all over again.

As ashamed as I am to admit it, yes, that is totally me.  How many times do I ask God to lead me, direct me, help me to do things in His strength rather than my own?  I go through periods of time in which I pray without ceasing, spend daily time in His word, and can truly feel Him leading me according to His plans.  However, it doesn't take long for life to interfere... I find myself with a million things to do (and a to-do list that keeps growing!), feeling stressed and exhausted, and a line of people demanding my attention.  I forget about His strength, His plan, His desires for me, and I start trying to do it all on my own yet again. 

Guess what?  It never works on my own.  The walls come crashing down around me, but, control freak that I am, I can't let go of the reigns.  That is where the message of this song hit me the hardest- "Lord, take from me my life when I don't have the strength to give it away to You..."  That is my prayer this week- that my faithful, all-powerful, omnipotent Father will take the reigns out of my hands when I can't seem to let go of them.  Sometimes I need Him to pry my fingers away one at a time to remind me that He's got this... after all, this life is not about me.  It's all about Him, and for Him.