Co-Dependent part 3
I think one of the most important words in the English language is "with." Especially when we're talking about relationships. Being a co-laborer. Doing things together. I can tell you, from experience, that if you say to someone "Come do this with me," it is SO much more well received than, "Can you do this for me." And I'm not saying you should never ask anybody to do something for you. I ask my kid to do things for me all the time. "Go grab my phone charger for me." Whatever. That's no big deal. And when you have the kind of relationship that we have--I've always got his back and he's always got mine--it really IS no big deal. But I'm saying... things work out better when we work together. Especially when you apply this truth to our relationship with God. I don't think He wants us to do things FOR Him, as much as He wants us to do things WITH Him. Yesterday I was Ranting about leaning on Him. Letting Him pick up the slack and keep you from falling. But that's still a little bit too close to trying to do things yourself. We need to get rid of that "break glass in case of emergency" mentality where we only call on the Lord when we've made a giant mess and need help cleaning it up. We would be so much better off if we just included Him in everything we do right from the jump. If we would do things WITH Him instead of trying to do things FOR Him. And the difference, of course, is that trying to do things FOR God means WE are trying to do it. In our own strength or our own power. When we know that HIS strength is made perfect in weakness. When we can't... that's when He will. When you work, God will rest. But when you rest, God will work. When you let Him do what HE wants to do in you, and through you, and as you... that's so much better (and easier) than trying to do it yourself. And I want to drop this here before (probably) picking it up tomorrow. I called this Rant series "Co-Dependent" because as dependent as we are on Him... in a sense He is dependent on us. Not because He NEEDS us to do anything for Him--God said if He was hungry He wouldn't tell us because He owns the cattle on a hundred hills, right?--but because He CHOOSES to operate through us. God works through people. That's why we say He works in mysterious ways--because people do some strange, mysterious things. So if you chooses you for a task, but you refuse it, that task might not get done. Or, more probably, He'll choose another way and you'll just miss out (rob yourself) of all the good that was involved in it. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that God "depends" on us because He wants to include us. Like Jonah and the fish, right? He will go to great lengths to get, and keep, us involved in His will. But if we simply depended on Him we could make things a lot easier on ourselves. We could jump in the river and flow downstream, right to where God wants us, instead of kicking and fighting against the current to get to where WE think we should be. If He's depending on you... Depend on Him. Do it together. Go WITH God. With man it is impossible. But with God--WITH God--all things are possible!