Mothers Group Reflection #24: Making Friends With What We Can't Control

I recently travelled with my best friend from my home state to celebrate a shared milestone. We spent a couple of days just chilling on the beach, sipping frosty drinks while the water swirled around our feet and we tried to dodge jellyfish (and to the random guy on the beach, yes, we were totally laughing at you, not with you, when your first discovered the jellyfish).

I have always been fascinated by the ocean. I guess because I don’t completely understand it. It is so massive and the currents have a mind of their own, and I have a tendency to fight the waves each time I venture out into the water.

During this trip I found myself reflecting a lot on one particular beach trip a couple of years ago, when I was still trying to make friends with this large body of water and all it’s raw power. I remember just standing there in the water, bracing myself, fighting wave after wave, getting knocked down and dragged all about. I kept trying to control the situation and I was quickly tiring in the struggle to remain upright. I kept watching everyone around me having so much fun and wondering what it was I was missing. After a couple of hours of this struggle, I finally ventured out a little from the shoreline into deeper water with my family. It took awhile to pick up on it, but I finally learned to just let go, float on the surface when the waves rolled by, and let the energy of the waves flow through me. I have never had more fun in my life! I felt like I was 5 years old again. Yet, there was still this bit of fear within me.

As I floated along, I had the distinct feeling that I was being sucked out to sea, further and further from safety, until all of a sudden, my back brushed against the sand underneath me. All this time, I had been letting the waves roll over and past me, just going with the moment, and while it felt like I was headed into danger, I was actually being carried safely to shore the entire time.

I find this idea woven all throughout my daily life. While we all need some basic stability to thrive, I have such a tendency to want to know how things will go, to feel too much responsibility for everything, to feel I have to “do” something in each situation I am faced with, and yet, God is forever waiting for me to just let go. To just enjoy the beauty and fun of the moment and let Him carry me along in safety. There is nothing to fear in His arms. He knows the currents around me, He knows which direction is the right one. He understands the bigger picture when I can only see a tiny piece of it. He doesn’t ask me to figure it all out, but just to go with the moment, to cooperate with His grace in this very moment in front of me, and to let Him put all the pieces together. I don’t have nearly as much control or responsibility as I give myself credit for. And in the letting go, I usually have a glorious time!

Thoughts for further reflection:

Where in your life is God asking you to let Him take the lead? In what ways are you fighting for control of a situation or relationship? What is one small way you can give this situation to God this week and rest in His provision?

Verse for the week:

“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.” Job 12:10 NRSVCE