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Commit

            Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3)

          I admit it. In case you haven’t read between the lines of late, I’m feeling a little off kilter. It’s the time of year when things are supposed to change. School is supposed to start. As it happens, I may be going back to “school,” to learn to be a master gardener, but I don’t know yet, and it doesn’t start until October. Snowbirds are supposed to head south. It’s sort of like when someone takes something from you and you don’t know what to do with your hands. It doesn’t help that I’ve decided to learn to crochet hats, but haven’t picked a pattern yet.

          I don’t know if anyone else is in the sort of a funk. The reality is that nothing is wrong except (wait for it!) my attitude. However, today’s verse is food for thought. What does it mean to commit something to God? The definition involves pledging or binding someone or something to God. If you commit your day to Him, He gets to decide what you do. If  you commit a project to Him, He decided whether and how it moves forward, what the end will be, and where or how the outcome will be used. Too often, it seems as if we say we commit something to God, but hold onto it as if it was still ours.

          I feel as if I’ve done that with my garden, and as if I keep doing that with my life. I know I have published my books, then refused to learn to market them effectively. I have the same problem with job hunting. Really, when it comes down to it, the moment my mind has a chance to go AWOL, it does. And then the doubts creep in. Sure, I’ve committed X to God, but did I really? Is this what He wants? When, where, and how did I screw the whole thing up? Are my plans really established? Or am I fooling myself? Whimper…whine…

          But commit means though thick and thin, light and dark, and doubts and delights. If I think I’m committing, and somehow don’t get the committing part right, it’s time to learn from my mistakes and try again. Committing means that the outcome belongs to God, and that outcome may not be fame, fortune, and power. It might mean work, pain, and struggle. God’s outcome will glorify God, not necessarily us. 

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