“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…” Joel 2:25 KJV
Life seldom asks our advice; It just sort of decides what’s next for us. Some things are beyond our control. We don’t begin them and we will not be the ones to make them stop. We can only decide how we will respond as we are forced to take the ride.
What is it you’re facing right now? a deadly diagnosis, the death of a loved one, divorce, the empty nest, a chronic illness, financial ruin, job promotion, recovery after surgery, a child’s return home, a new marriage, a new course of treatment: All change can be daunting because it requires something of us. So often we wish the change away. We forget that God would use it to hone who we are. We don’t control life’s twists and turns, but we do control our responses to them. Our responses determine what we become: Godly responses reinvent us into the image of God; Ungodly responses reinvent us into something less than we were to begin with. Either way we are reinvented.
God’s point in change is to restore what has been taken from us by the world, the flesh, and the devil. We have to let Him in if that restoration is to begin.
One area He would right and restore within us is our ability to commit. Every change is an opportunity for us to examine our commitments.
I’ve taken many opportunities in this blog to talk about the crazy, complicated lives we Americans live. God did not invent or intend the 24/7 lifestyle; That was all us.
At the root of this life of complicated rush is a problem with commitment. Somewhere along the line someone told us we could do anything if we were just committed enough. That’s a lie. God can do anything. You can successfully do what God has made you to do. The problem is that some of us have confused ourselves with God. We’ve begun to think that we have an infinite source of commitment; So we just keep committing to more and more, complicating our lives until we are half mad with weariness.
Sometimes change is God trying to make us realize we need to detach from some of our commitments so that we can become what He really intended for us. Such change is never welcomed at first. It requires us to admit that we can’t do it all. We have to tumble to the fact we aren’t God!
If you are in a major life-change now why don’t you take some time and reevaluate your commitments to see if they are in line with what the King wants. Ask yourself:
1. Am I over-committed in any area of my life?
2. Is there something I am doing which I was not called to be committed to?
3. Are my current commitments keeping me from something else God really wants me to be doing?
Here’s to letting the Lord restore us in the area of our commitments! May you find the path of peace!
Reinventing the We'll 
I never thought about it this way . . .of the commitment factor. But that’s it , isn’t it? That is why there is stress. And I can see pride in there sometimes when I over commit, wanting to be able to do it all, when I clearly can’t. God is taking me through some changes right now, that kind of connect to this, working in areas of time, of pleasing Him, of eating right and less. Thank you for having me look at my commitments to further help me during this time!
Indeed! We are men and women made for a purpose and when we go beyond that purpose we stretch ourselves too thin! Here’s to learning to live within God’s boundaries for our lives! Thanks for commenting!
Thank you, Pastor J
” Every change is an opportunity for us to examine our commitments. ”
Indeed.
Do I always welcome change? Nope.
Trusting Him makes the difference. If I fully trust Him, I ought to be comfortable knowing that He’s working all things for my good. I am slowly getting there.
@ Deb. “And I can see pride in there sometimes when I over commit, wanting to be able to do it all, when I clearly can’t.”
I feel like this at times too.
Learning much,
ann
I think we all feel like we should be able to “do it all”. It is humbling to find out we cannot. Humility is always a blessing in disguise! 🙂
I must admit I wondered if I was over-committed, but I was doing the work to which God had called me and He always enabled me to complete everything well done and on time. I found I worked much better when under that sort of stress and was never tempted to rely on myself and my abilities. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.
My problem now is at the other end of the scale – I do not have ENOUGH to do. While this has given me more time for study I struggle with the lack of being actively involved in ministry. Change . . . . .
It’s hard no matter which way it goes isn’t it? God brings changes both to get us more active and sometimes to send us into the recreating silences. Usually no matter which way we are going the transition is difficult. Stilling a mind that has been running in fifth gear for a long time is like reigning in a horse running downhill in a mudslide…Been there…done that. Last time it happened to me I got mad at God. When I finally settled into it though He showed me things I never would have caught had I kept going full speed ahead. I pray that the things God wishes to reveal to you in your deep- and- still- water time will strengthen and refresh you greatly.