December 3rd - Turning stuff, outside your control or influence, over to God

The story...

Life has taught me that I don't know what's best in many or most situations. The best that I can hope for is to apply something that seemed to work well in similar situations.  It's especially likely that I'll choose a suboptimal course of action if it involves something that I'm comfortable with, allows me to apply a skill that I've developed, if it uses the tool(s) at hand, brings positive attention towards myself, pleasures me, or is consistent with my limited knowledge.  Actually, I think that I'm a good decision maker yet I'm prone to make biased-suboptimal decisions while hoping for a very cloudy picture of what the future might best hold.

I once taught a graduate class on forecasting with mathematical models.  It involved identifying causal and non-causal data related to key outcomes, weighting historical data, measuring trends, discovering seasonality, and the testing of these time-series models with both historical and current reality - always concerned that these data were recorded accurately and precise enough.  A good model's helpful for planning a manufacturing enterprise within varying: environments, materials, Geopolitics, competitors, and the actual behavior of all the people involved - sometimes it seems difficult if not impossible to do "good" enough.  Our omniscient God knows - but I, his creature, do not - "A man's got to know his limitations."

Most of us believe that a virtuous life is better than a non-virtuous one. Yet, I value honesty and integrity while others plan on lying as necessary in an effort to achieve more favorable outcomes - insecure people work out their lives differently within their ever-changing environments.  Situations and their related decisions are rarely black-and-white - they seem cloudier and greyer with spots of sunshine peaking through.

The only church in town will tell the believers that God's trustworthy and He cares for each of us.  You can trust Him for the stuff that's outside your control and influence.  When trusting God, your able to live a more restful peaceful, and hopeful and life.   A life that appreciates the past, lives in the present, and trusts God for the future.  It's a great thing to walk through this life in favor with God in Christ.  Why not fellowship with your Creator and Father now?

Just for today...

"I found it relatively easy to make a decision to turn over my will and my life to God. However, I didn't have any  idea how to actually do it."  Hope for Today (p. 338)   The author goes on to suggest a "God Box" and "Basketball Technique."  I have done, and do, both.  You can find a copy of the book to learn more if you so choose.  

"Speculating on other people's attitudes and motives is a waste of time and effort. To search out the reasons for my own is a voyage of discovery!"  One Day at a Time (p. 338)

"Meditation is higher spiritual awareness . . . a quiet place . . . beyond my thoughts . . . attention on the present day only, leaving the past and the future alone."   Courage to Change (p. 338)