The Puppeteer

Have you ever gotten excited about a possibility, shared about trusting God’s will to be done and then wait in anticipation as all the pieces fell into place? I have. I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot lately. But yesterday I realized  my “state of anticipation” was turning into a “state of anxiousness”. I want things to work out the way my mind has already settled on.

I realized with a bit of a start yesterday that I wasn’t actually living in faith. I was calling on God and seeking Him for His will, but I wasn’t living as if I really believed that His will is the best solution – especially if it’s different than what I want it to be.

As I waited for things to work out, I started being consumed by the “what ifs”. What if it doesn’t work out? What if nothing changes? What if I have to accept a situation I don’t like? What if I’m disappointed by the outcome?

It’s then the Lord spoke to my heart, “When you’re seeking My face, when you accept and do My will, there is no disappointment. I know what’s best and when you trust Me you must believe that I’m working things for the ultimate good.”

I think many Christians want to step out in faith but when they’re teetering on that limb, their sense of security gets threatened. The lack of solid, sturdy ground beneath them tempts them to take their eyes of Jesus and worry about all the details that will lead them back to that place of security and familiarity. Instead of living by faith, we live as if we believe the security we would create for ourselves is better than the security found in God. Really, it’s like we think we know best and we can do a better job of handling things.

As I pondered these things and felt conviction in my heart, I began to picture a Pinocchio style puppet show. We are like those puppets and the stage is like our lives. God is watching over us, wanting us to let Him be the puppeteer. When we pull against those strings, they become tangled and knotted and we fall down. When we submit to His leading and direction, we get to experience His grace played out in our lives.

So with a little nudging from the Lord, I have come to accept that His will may be different than  what I want it to be but it is still the best possible scenario. I just have to be willing to trust Him enough to get me there.