Posted by My son is almost five months old, so a few weeks ago we began to introduce solid food to him. He is still trying to get the hang of eating off a spoon and gets far more food everywhere else on him rather than in his mouth. As he is learning he continually takes the spoon and wants to feed himself. I find myself getting frustrated because this takes longer and causes more of a mess. The words, “let me do it” come out of my mouth many times. Because I know if I feed him, he will get more food in his mouth and won’t make as big of a mess. However, my son is determined to do it himself, which results in more mess, more frustration and more time spent.
As I was feeding him one day, I felt the Lord speak to me, that isn’t this what I do daily? God is saying, “let me do it.” It is so profound as I continue to ponder what this means for my life and for all our lives. Not only is this evident for me, but I see it in the lives of those who I sit across from every day in therapy.
I can’t tell you how many times I see people struggling and realize it is because they are trying to do everything themselves. This often causes more mess, more struggle and pain, and more heartache than necessary. Of course, we are all responsible for our choices and have some role to play in our healing. But I think that far too often, we, as a human race, strive and struggle more than we must. God tells us over and over in His Word that He will care for us, provide for us, and give us the strength and power to do what we need if we will only surrender to Him.
Sometimes our struggle doesn’t have to be so hard if we continually give our burdens to God and let Him begin to work it out in our lives. Practically speaking this can look very different for everyone. It might look like time in prayer surrendering a particular issue, person, or diagnosis to Him. It might look like reading His Word and gaining wisdom. It might look like being quiet so His voice can be heard. It might look like taking steps and sensing the Holy Spirit’s promptings to continue moving or change directions. Whatever it looks like for you, I encourage you to “give God your spoon,” whatever that spoon may be. It might be depression or anxiety, a relationship, your time, your money, your addiction, etc. There is no limit to what God can handle if we only will release our struggles to Him.
Scripture abounds with the message of giving our “stuff” to God and letting him work it out in our lives.
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless” (Isaiah 40:29).
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
My prayer for my son is that he will learn that when he is struggling and life is hard, he can turn to the Lord to sustain Him and help him through. He doesn’t have to do everything himself. My prayer for my life and all those I know will be the same. We don’t have to strive and struggle all the time. We can give it to God and be amazed at what He can do when we truly surrender it all to Him.
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