Friday, March 22, 2013

Flailing

This week was a "come to Jesus" week.  I flailed.  I whined.  I stomped.  I slammed.

But then I fell and cried and stopped.  Stopped the merry-go-round madness with three little words, divinely thrown my way by a friend with a patient ear and compassionate heart: "Don't freak out."

As she put it, "maybe God is throwing these circumstances your way to allow your old self to rise to the surface - precisely so that that old self can be dealt with.  Maybe, just maybe, the response is simply: don't freak out."

It's that simple.

When things don't go my way, instead of panicking, I need to remain calm.  This, in many ways, is the ultimate act of faith and trust and, truth be told, hope.

When my timeline is not met, instead of whining, I need to stop and think...perhaps there's a reason I'm not getting what I want when I want it?

When I'm overwhelmed by my emotions, instead of allowing myself to drown under the tsunami-like wave of feelings, I need to raise my staff of God*, trust in the sovereignty of my Supreme Ruler, and choose:

Don't...

freak...

out.

Now that a few days have passed between several disappointments I experienced this week, it's a lot easier to see how my panic, fear, hyper-emotionalism were wholly unhelpful.  It's also a lot easier to see how God is, indeed, working all things together for my good.  When I heard 'no', He was actually saying 'not yet.'  When I heard 'not good enough to be given to you', He was actually saying 'I am giving to you, in the way that is best for you.'  It's amazing what we choose to hear when we allow chaos to rule.

I'm thankful for my friend, thankful for her ear, thankful for her words.  I've found my new motto for now.  So, if you see a friendly redhead in Austin, Texas, flailing her arms and tugging on her pigtails, feel free to walk right up and say, "did you leave your three words at home today?"

*Referencing Moses' staff and the parting of the Red Sea, Exodus 14.


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