Indian Giver

When I was little we had an American term called Indian Giver. An Indian Giver is described in part as a person who gives a gift and later wants it back. The idea is that once you give someone something it belongs to them fully and completely. I surrendered my life fully to God some time ago, or at least I professed to. However, lately it seems I have taken I back. How many of us have ever been Indian Givers with God?  I gave God my job, my relationships, and my desires only to decide that it is better in my hands. I’m sure if I were capable of fixing the problems in my life, or solving the mysteries of it I wouldn’t have cause to be concerned in the first place.

When I began reflecting on why I obsess over certain details of my life and have anxiety over others, I realized that it is a control issue for me. I give control of my life to God in a moment, and take it all back when I become uncertain. It is so difficult to let go of the reins and allow someone else be in control.  However, when we surrendered our life to God that is essentially what we did. We gave it all up to him. We said yes, but if we give our lives and then take it back or only give a part of it then have we really said yes? Have we really given it all?

Proverbs 16:9 says “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the lord establishes their steps.”  This could not be more true. We plan out the details of our life because It makes us feel better, but that is all it does.  The fact is we can’t control the future and we can’t know everything. How can you control something and you don’t know what the plan is? You can’t. Giving God control and then taking it back is pointless. However, we can choose to seek God for his guidance instead of always seeking him for the answers.  It is on the journey to the answer that we really get to know God intimately. We learn that he goes before us to show us the path and instruct us. Only God can ever have complete control. The best plan we can have is to follow God, all other plans are worthless. We have to trust that on the other side of it all Gods best is waiting for us.  We worry because we don’t know the outcome, but when has God’s outcome ever been bad for us? We can trust that when we gave our lives to God we did the best we could have ever done.