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There Is No Other

                I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, (Isaiah 45:5)

 

The exercise for today has to do with examining our lives and being honest about how things went when we tried to be in control in comparison to how they went when God was in control. One of the big things about trying to be in control is that there are stress and anxiety. Am I making the right choices? I am making the right choices, but what if they don’t cooperate? Am I doing good enough? How do I get God and everyone else to cooperate? Am I even doing the right thing? Why can’t they see it?

When I am trying to be in control, it’s often my emotions that are in the lead. Sometimes, my will gets involved – on overdrive. I can keep going for a long time, but burn out eventually. Once I lose focus, I’m done for.

When I am going it alone, it’s not unusual for me to feel abandoned.

On the other hand, when I sensed God leading, my initial reaction has been “No, no, no, no…no, no, no.” But as I have moved forward, the problems and the challenges have not seemed as insurmountable as they do when I’m trying to do it myself.

When I’m allowing God to be God, I may have to school the various “parts” of me (will, thought, feelings, body, social relations, and soul) but there is a sense of direction, and therefore peace and synergy. It’s easier to get into a zone and there is less of a sense of being alone or abandoned.

Your list may not be the same. My list might not be the same if I had a specific incident to consider. What it all boils down to is that when I stop trying to take God’s place, life gets less stressful because trying to be someone or something you’re not capable of being – by definition – is tough on a person. So I keep telling myself that God is God and I am not.

 

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