I recently had my 70th birthday and thought, “Well, now I will relax, read and write, take care of my plants, go to my seniors’ group, church worship and gatherings, visit my sisters, and enjoy my children and grandchildren when they come visit me. From now on, life will be a piece of cake.”
Sweet illusion! Soon, my 80-year-old sister became ill, and I am having to assist her. Other smaller emergencies came up, and I had to admit: “Life is as wonderful as a roller coaster. It is full of ups and downs. The Lord does give us times of rest and relaxation, but we also face times of trouble, hard decisions, and heartbreaks, when we must hang on tight to Him, who keeps us well strapped to our seats, so we don’t fall.”
As we age, we learn that it’s always wise to go slow, until we are sure that our plan of action is in line with God’s will. Paul teaches us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
I remember when I was seeking a man to marry and had very high expectations. After some time, I surrendered my will to the Lord and prayed: “Jesus, please give me a good man, someone who will love You as much as I do and who wants to serve You like I do.” And after a short time, I met my husband and we had a wonderful life together. He was caring, loyal, cheerful, and full of faith. I have used this surrendering principle in many other decisions, both big and small.
I often pray the serenity prayer, very well known among therapy groups: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 1 In other words: “Show me, Lord, what I should or should not do right now. What is my part and what should be left in Your hands. And what is the best way to navigate this situation?”
After my seventy trips around the sun, in this roller-coaster experience of being human, I can guarantee that it pays to seek the Lord’s will during our journey. God gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to Him!
- Originally composed by Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s. ↑