But I Could So Fix This!

I have friends whose circumstances are tough.  They range from dysfunctional families and work environments to battles with months of unemployment.  Some are fighting for their health and their very lives.

We want to fix it, don’t we?  We want to problem solve, find a solution.  If we could just get on the other side and find an answer, things would be better.  If the waiting would stop we’d be fine.  If we could just get that one person to understand our side of the story, everything would be alright.

“Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of all difficulties.  Link your hope not to problem solving in this life … instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world, pour your energy into seeking Me:  the Perfect One.  It is possible to enjoy Me and glorify Me in the midst of adverse circumstances.  In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark.  That kind of trust is supernatural: a production of My indwelling Spirit.  When things seem all wrong, trust me anyway.  I am much less interested in right circumstances than in right responses to whatever comes your way.”     Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, p.27

What am I trying to fix?  What am I stuck on that causes my spirit to be unsettled, to be agitated, irritated?  Where is my mind racing, what problems am I trying to resolve?

What if I can’t fix it?  

So many friends with hardships, so many circumstances I don’t understand.  So much in my own life that attempts to take over.  

Jesus invites me to trust Him.  

To bring Him my heart, my hurts, my disappointments.  His light is so bright in the darkness.  Will I continue to look at the darkness, or will I mentally stop, let it go, and allow Him to transform my mind with His light (Rom. 12:2)?  Jesus asks me to trust Him to be my problem solver.  I want to lean into Him today.  Because I know that as I give my circumstances to Him, He fills me with His peace and joy – yes, joy – and His glory is both revealed and known.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”  Philippians 4:6-7, The Message

“I will praise the LORD at all times. 
      I will constantly speak His praises. 
 I will boast only in the LORD; 
      let all who are helpless take heart. 
 Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; 
      let us exalt His name together.”  Psalm 34:1-3