Counting on His Control

My daughter truly depends upon me and my wife for everything. She's 13 months old. She relies on us to feed her, clothe her, protect her...in everything she looks to us to provide. She is my child, and I will do whatever I can to help her in this life.

We, as Christians, are children of God...and as children we are to be ever dependent upon Him in everything. Every day we are to seek Him. Every day we are to rely on Him. He is our Father. He is our strength. He is the Giver of all good gifts (James 1:17). The Lord said: "...apart from Me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Do I truly believe that? Am I trusting and relying on God just like my daughter relies on me?

I don't get to come to a point in this life where I can say, "Look at all I've done by myself!" "Look at what I've accomplished by myself!" I am obligated (just by the fact God gives me life and breath) to thank my Father in heaven for all He's done and say, like Paul "By the grace of God, I am what I am." (I Corinthians 15:10). God gets me through this day, just like He gets you through it. The Lord makes the sun to rise and set. It is through Him that we "live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

I struggle with this every day because we have been taught (from an early age whether through parents or culture) to be independent. Dependence is a sign of weakness, right? It means that you can't do something, and we don't want anybody to think they can't do something (sarcasm much). So, parents teach their kids to "win at all costs", "be the best, or you're not good enough", "never back down". Which flies in the face of what Jesus says: "Whoever humbles himself, like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)

Dependence and reliance are crucial pillars of the Christian life. Every day I must rely on God to make it through. I can't rely on my strength, or my endurance, or my effort...I have to count on His control.