“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

I have a problem. Well, I have many problems, but one that rears its head and attempts to take charge every single day of life.

I want to be in control.

I want the day to go how I’ve planned and prepared it to. Down to my alertness level and my ability to stay on the same detailed task for hours on end with no need for a break, until the job is completed. (This never goes as planned, by the way).

I don’t like interruptions, because, well that just “interrupts” my illusion of control.

At the root of this desire to control the day, the time in the day, and order tasks in the most make-sense-manner, is a deep motivation for productivity and to avoid wasting time.

The problem is, I’m not in control. I have never been in control. And I will never be in control.

As Believer’s in Jesus Christ as Savior, we know we are weak. We are incapable of breathing on our own, let alone controlling our days with any success as we vainly attempt to hold all things together in our limited human nature. We know it is our Lord and Savior Who reigns in perfect control and divinely holds all things together, perfectly.

The apostle Paul writes to the church at Colossae one of my favorite passages of scripture describing the preeminence of Christ,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together,” (Colossians 1:15-17 ESV).

It’s Christ Who orders the days, sustains time, and holds everything together.

I know this. Yet I do not live every moment as if I know this. Each day, I am portioned opportunities that test my ability to surrender to this truth. I am being summoned by the Holy Spirit to submit to the authority of Christ’s beautiful Lordship in my life. Yet I fail, miserably.

This is where I found myself this week—tiny stresses mounted in my mind surrounding not having enough time to complete things that are at the top of my priority list. The stress intensifies when these tasks require my mind to be functioning at full capacity with no—or—very limited interruptions. It’s really the story of all our lives to some degree.

It was dinner time. Hungry bellies depend on my job of meal prepping and cooking. But my mind was entrenched in writing projects that have taken much of my attention and priority lately. I was alert and wired to see the job through.

The dinnertime hunger of the home interrupted my plans.

To the kitchen I went. As I was laying out the ingredients for the meal, the Holy Spirit sweetly convicted me. I cannot get out of order of my service in this season of life. The projects that have my attention are ministry centered and good. But my service to my family and home is my first commitment of service. I cannot define their needs as burdensome. I cannot spend all my energy on outside things and give them leftovers of myself. They are my ministry. They are not the pivot task—they are the main thing that the Lord has sovereignly and wonderfully laid before me to nurture, to love, to sacrifice for—all by His grace that is captivating and overwhelms my need for puny control.  

As I stood at the stove over a boiling pot of pasta, my heart swelled with thankfulness to have a family to cook for. Just keep stirring the pot, I whispered to myself. Just keep stirring the pot.

As I stirred, I was reminded of the wonderful command in 1 Corinthians 10:31,

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Whatever you do…do all to the glory of God.

Just keep washing the clothes… To the glory of God.

Just keep folding the clothes… To the glory of God.

Just keep cooking the meals… To the glory of God.

Just keep washing the dishes… To the glory of God.

Just keep teaching the subjects… To the glory of God.

Just keep grading the lessons… To the glory of God.

Just keep respecting my husband… To the glory of God.

Just keep nurturing my children… To the glory of God.

Just keep working in my home… To the glory of God.

Do all to the glory of God. Pivot…to the glory of God. Be interrupted…to the glory of God. Forsake and mortify your need for control…to the glory of God.

Life, adulthood, parenting, spousing, living—is really made up of pivoted moments. Life is really embracing interruptions from our own self-centered-well-meaning-plans. Do you pivot well? Why are we having to pivot so much?

Because we’ve planned and are not in control of the outcome. Which most commonly leads to frustration and a loss of self-control. I pray the Lord continues to draw me to repentance in this area that is rooted in pride and fear.

It’s silly and simple, really. Especially for the Believer. But sometimes it’s the silly and simple things of daily life that cause us the most sanctification in our walk with the Lord.

We daily need Christ’s reminder to abide in Him.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing,” (John 15:4-5 ESV)

Just keep stirring the pot… to the glory of God.

I Trust my God, I Trust my God, I Trust my God

Ardently His,

Jess D.