In His Hands

"She's always taking things into her own hands" is rarely intended as unqualified praise. However much our society praises initiative and self-reliance, we recognize that some things are best left to the experts. Hence the jokes about the homeowner who sets out to fix the refrigerator and succeeds only in running up a bigger repair bill; the youngster who won't take off his cap for weeks because his parents tried to save money by cutting his hair at home; and the preschooler who decides to surprise everyone by cleaning house and gives them a somewhat less pleasant surprise than intended.

Such relatively harmless messes can make even their victims chuckle in retrospect. But the world is full of people who are trying to do God's work by taking full responsibility for their lives into their own hands--and the farther they get before the inevitable crash, the less funny it is. The worst-case scenario is someone at the end of what seemed a life of unqualified success, moaning on his deathbed, "What have I really accomplished? What's left for me now?" A self-directed life that never takes God into account, is ultimately a life wasted on trivialities.

Whether your life is going well or looks impossible, remember not to take things into your own hands. Leave things in God's hands!

When struggles and temptations overwhelm you,
Lay them before the One Who understands:
Our God provides escape so you can meet the test,
And every day you pass on earth is in His hands.

When situations of "what ifs" are troubling you,
Remember that their outcomes are God's plans:
He wrote out every day of time before it had its start,
And every trial of your life is in His hands.

And when your days upon this earth draw to an end,
He'll be with you along your way to heavenly lands:
For in God's Kingdom all your struggles are as distant dreams,
And He holds all eternity safe in His hands.