“Humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due
time,
casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV
Today in the garden I am a bit weary. Today for some reason, the
beautiful golden Rudbeckia looks a little paler than usual. I guess it is true
that much of what we see is in the eye of the beholder. If our mind is fuzzy,
our heart heavy, or our vision clouded because of personal burdens and concerns
we see life as overwhelming and the beauty that surrounds us dims as we seek
ways to hold together all that we feel is falling apart.
Fathers are always concerned regarding the provision and the well being
of their family. His hunter, warrior nature makes him passionate for the
provision and protection of those he loves. A father often separates himself
from his family in order to provide. Father’s are sometimes accused of being
absent; when in fact their concern for their family is huge. The harder they
work, the more they earn, and the more they earn, the better they can provide for their family.
On the other hand, most mothers are always trying to fix what is
broken. A mother’s nurturing nature wants to mend broken hearts, fix an emotional
crisis, bandage up wounded spirits, nurse sick children, fill empty cupboards,
put back together failed relationships, encourage a discouraged spouse, help
children change poor grades, and referee all family fights. Even when our
children leave home some of these things remain in the heart of a mother. For
some reason we believe that we are the glue that holds it all together.
Truth be known, God gave every child a mother to care for, guide,
teach, and nurture them. He also designated a wife to be the helpmate to her
husband. But I have found that when I try to shoulder this responsibility
alone my bottle of glue becomes extremely heavy! By nature we women are
fixers. Often our need to fix another’s problem is not received well. It has been my experience, that when my
overtures of offering to apply the glue of my knowledge is declined, I feel
rejection. Even when my adhesive is
love-based it may not always be received well. Often the score of my success rate in helping those
I love is zero to none! I find that when this happens my spirit is crushed, I
become weary and often fearful for the one who is experiencing the difficult
time. At times I become angry when someone I love won’t allow me to do my job.
After all, I am a master fixer and what good is a full bottle of glue without something or someone to
repair? Being the fixer can be a curse!
Today as I am walking in the garden, I can’t help observing the sad
black eyes of the pale Rudbeckia. The sad little faces on these flowers remind
me of the faces of so many people I know and love. Some are family members
others are close friends. My burden for each one of them is heavy. But the
Master Gardener has a fix. Not for them but for me. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you
in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter
5:6-7 NKJV
God's Word tells us that we are to humble ourselves before God and cast our cares on him. He
will glue our broken heart, lift our head, soothe our painful concerns and
reassure us that he loves those we love more than we do. Our prayer must simply
be, “Lord, I trust you with ____________.”
Of course, we can never be certain of how someone will respond to God, but we
can be sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that God hears our prayer, he will
convict if need be, he will send other people to the side of those we love, he
will provide opportunity for them to respond to him, he will call them, he will
intercede in prayer for them, and he always stands ready to receive them when
they humbly reach up and take his hand.
Leaving the garden gate I simply pray, “God I trust you with
___________.” As I glance over my shoulder for one last look at the
Rudbeckia, their sunny little heads now seems brighter! This is a very visible
sign to me that my God is on the job. I can rest in him because I have cast my
cares on Him. I can now pray confidently because I know that God is on the job.
I pray and he glues and fixes all those who will come to him. There may still
be cracks and scares of brokenness and sorrow but God is able to put together
that which we thought was beyond repair. My job is not to glue but rather pray
and trust the Father.
As God leads me, I will continue to apply the glue of love and
encouragement to those whose hearts will receive me. In addition, I will
always make sure that the glue I use will have that “extra ingredient” of me
trusting God as I bring my cares and concerns to him regarding the ones I love. You see, God is the glue that holds our lives
together and he uses us to do his work of applying the glue of his
love and displaying his grace.
Questions:
- Do you sometimes feel that you have too many people to care for?
- Do you feel burdened by the needs of others?
- Are you a fixer?
- What are the dangers of you trying to meet everyone’s needs alone?
- Have you considered casting your cares on Jesus?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus,
Forgive me for bearing my burdens
alone. Help me not to rush ahead of you in my attempts to help and mend those I
love. Yes, moms are the glue that holds the family together but help me to
remember that I was never meant to work alone. Jesus, help me to cast my cares
on you everyday because you care for me and you also care for those I love and
cherish. Jesus, today I trust you with ___________, and ________, and
__________.
In your name I pray. Amen
