Time and time
again, the Bible commands us to place our trust in God. But, too often, we are tempted to take
matters into our own hands and blindly endeavor to solve problems to which we
have no answers. From life changing
issues to simple daily decisions, our first step should always be to “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
Recently, my
11-year-old son was invited to a sleep-over birthday party. He was so excited that I immediately said yes
and became excited with him. The
invitation explained that they would spend the evening at a family
entertainment center playing laser tag and bowling. Afterward, they would head home to watch movies and
spend the night.
It wasn’t until later, during the evening of the party, that I decided to glance over the invitation and check out what my pre-teen might be doing just about now, when I noticed the time they planned to head home. 2 a.m.!
“What”, I gasped. “That can’t be right. They’re only 11!” Hearing my outburst, my husband emerged to investigate.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I thought that was kind of strange, but you gave him permission so I assumed you had cleared the details.”
A warm flood of anger covered my face and I began, “What kind of parents allow their 11-year-old to stay out until 2a.m.?
And then I targeted my husband, “I can’t believe you knew this and didn’t say anything. What’s the matter with you?”
But the final criticism was most crushing when I thought, “What kind of mother allows her young child to attend a party without knowing the details?”
My stomach
began to ache and a persistent worry ensued with one question after another. Should I just pick him up and truthfully
explain that I am not comfortable with him being out so late? If so, I would
not only humiliate him in front of his friends, I would, in no uncertain terms,
let the mother know that I thought her parenting skills were void.
Or should I
do nothing, knowing I’d be up all night worried about my precious one? What about the types of people wandering at
that time? Drunks, druggies, people up to
no good…..NO WAY! I’m much more concerned about the safety of my child than what other people think about me! It’s settled. I’m calling to say I’ll be there to pick him up sooner and I’ll deal with the consequences later.
But before I could gallop on my merry way, my husband expressed his opposition. “You can’t just pick him up. You’ve already told him he could spend the night.”
Ugh! The frustration began to settle deeper and the fear began to bind when an all-consuming impression directed me to “Be still.” I know the commands well. They are some of the most comforting verses.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 and again, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14.
I had the directive. Now, I needed the obedience. So I began to pray, “Dear Lord, please help me make the right decision. Give me guidance and direction. Know the anxieties of my heart and give me peace and comfort.”
An immediate calm came over me and I fully surrendered my dilemma to God. Although the devil tried to instill doubt by reminding me that God doesn’t speak to people audibly (so I’d never get a real answer), I thought of it no more.
Within a half hour, I received a text message from the birthday boy’s mother stating that she was just told they would have to leave the facility early due to the scheduling of a private party. She was furious that she wasn’t notified earlier, but management had appeased her by giving each child a voucher to come back for FREE on the day of his choice. She was sorry that the boys were disappointed, but they would be going home at 11p.m. to watch movies until they fell asleep.
Wow! What an awesome God I serve. I allowed Him to solve my problem and in true Character, He did more! It is during times like these that I am humbled by His Greatness and inspired by His Truth!
Nothing is too insignificant to command God’s full attention to work together for our good as long as we allow Him.
Vanessa
