James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.
To be humble is to be modest, unassuming and respectful. To be humble before the Lord, we must set aside our pride, putting others before ourselves and accepting that he is in control.
How difficult is it to lose control of a situation? I went to school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever called home. However, anyone who looks at the UP on a map can probably guess what winters are like: lots of snow, wind, ice and a little more snow. I can honestly say that there was seldom a day when I didn’t see a snowflake in the air at any given time. I loved it.
Now, I had about a six hour drive home to Chicago. Given the fact that it snows in the UP from October to April, I frequently drove home in a snowstorm. A few times, I encountered black ice. It’s pretty scary. You drive along, thinking everything is great. Then you hit a patch of ice and your car twists and turns in directions you never intended. If you keep a clear head, you might be able to regain control of the car, but there is no doubt, for at least a few seconds, you have lost control. Each time that happened to me, my heart raced and my hands began to shake. Once the car was straightened out, I took a deep breath, grabbed the wheel at ten and two and focused, grateful that I hadn’t landed in the ditch.
These experiences with black ice were terrifying. Suddenly, I didn’t know exactly what would happen next. I didn’t know if I would crash, hit another car, land in a ditch, or just drive on. In those seconds, I was firmly in God’s hands.
We are so blessed that we are not in control of our lives. God has so much more wisdom than us. He knows the end. Like my trips to and from the UP, we are cruising along thinking everything is okay. Then suddenly, we hit the ice, our lives feel like they’re skidding out of control. God can get us going in the right direction, if we will only humble ourselves and let him take the wheel. We have to give up the control and let God guide us through the rough patches. He will bring us home. He will lift us up to his standard.
Heavenly Father,
We so often feel like we have things perfectly under control. We forget that you are so much more able to take care of things than we are. Help us to humble ourselves to you. Lift us up to your likeness and bring us home.
Amen.
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