Let. It. Go. Week 1 Wrap Up

As I mentioned yesterday in the Controllers Anonymous Meeting Blog Post, I have joined an Online Bible Study covering this book:

Let. It. Go. by Karen Ehman

 

Today's Assignment from Melissa Taylor is to Reflect and Respond to the questions below. And well, since I'm a blogger, I'll just do it here.

 

• Which Reflection Verse spoke to you most this week? How were you able to apply it to your life?
• Well, they all definitely spoke to me & I'll leave my thoughts on them with each verse.
• “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” ~ Colossians 3:23 NIV84
• This one spoke to me the most, but here are my thoughts: No matter what I'm doing, whether it be at home or at work, I need to work my hardest with all of my heart to please the Lord. Working like this provides as a great example to others (especially my girls) of what it's like to have the Lord in my heart. I should not try to please others, only work to please the Lord.
• “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” ~ Psalm 118:8 NIV11
• I need to seek my fulfillment in the Lord. All of my trust needs to be in the Lord. I do not need to rely on any person for these things.
• “My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.” ~ Proverbs 8:9-11 NLT
• Spending time with God strengthening my relationship & gaining knowledge from His Truth should be my top priority.

• What is the difference between trusting God and believing in God?
• Believing in God means I know all about His wonderful characteristics & mighty acts. I know He is patient, loving, forgiving, powerful, ever near, always faithful....He's perfect! I read the pages of my Bible about men & women who trusted Him with amazing results; but I doubt He'll really repeat this in my modern everyday life. I intellectually believe He does what is best for the world in general, but practically I behave as if in my individual situations, I must know what's best. My lips may say I trust Him, but my actions say the opposite.
• But to truly trust God, I must have a plump line --a solid starting point of reference on which I base all my decisions. I need to be intentional about spending time alone with God in prayer, knitting my heart to the Father's so they can unite in purpose. Then, whenever I'm faced with a choice, I can first sift through the grid of glory. I can ponder: Will this glorify me or will this glorify God? "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing" (John 8:54). To glorify ("to make famous") God, my actions should point to Him & make Him famous to those watching.

• Are you tired of trying to control things/people around you? Are you exhausted trying to keep up a good front? How will you be able to change these patterns? (p 23)
• I am tired of trying to control things & people around me! Keeping up a good front is definitely exhausting. I am beyond thankful I have truly started giving everything to God. In order to change these patterns, I must be trained to embrace this dichotomy of a truth: in order to get a grip, I have to let go.

• What is the difference between a tool, toy, and tangent? Give an example of each in your life.
• Tools are needed, they help me live life. Temporary toys are the little fun now & then to help relieve stress & rejuvenate, to refresh my mind, body, & soul. Tangents are what trip me up...they are the activities, hobbies, people, or time-wasting habits that knock me off course.
• At times my Smartphone can become a tangent for me, with my easy access to my all of my various accounts. But I am learning how to turn it into a temporary toy. Reading non-Christ centered daily blogs became a tangent for me last week while I was home sick with the flu & with 2 sweet little girls who had the flu. But I quickly learned how to just scan those & only limit myself on reading them. I sometimes feel like my cleaning can become a tangent…NOT because I have an overclean house or anything; but because I feel like I get home from work, clean, & then it’s time to put my girls down for bed & I’ve spent no time with them. I’m trying to find a balance on that one where I’m cleaning a little each day & ALSO not having a mass cleaning day. I like the idea of doing a little each day. I HAVE gotten them involved in the cleaning tasks & they love it when they are participating. But I also need to make sure we do something extremely fun afterwards.

• What is one thing you can take away from all you’ve learned in Week 1?
• I am more of a controller than I thought I was. I feel that my struggle is with letting God take things & not thinking: “did God really say”. I need to let it go & let God have complete control. I need to trust God. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone! Karen has hit the nail on the head with this one!!!