The One That Got Away
Loss In a Fallen World
Do you ever experience that angst over something just out of your reach? Maybe a missed opportunity, or getting there just as the last one was sold, or finding something better right after you made a commitment to buy the one you ended up with?How do we reconcile our near misses with our penchant for perfection? 'If only I had gotten that job, met that person, made a different decision, known in advance, gone to the party, bought the other one, or got there sooner' . . . . would we really get what we wanted? Is getting what we want really the best goal? We can drive ourselves CRAZY with "what ifs"!
Letting Go of "Control"
Our agitation over the loss of control points to our reality: we are not in control, and we live in an imperfect world. We are not going to achieve perfection, and even if we thought we did, it would be a lie. So we're faced with a choice: let go of our illusion of control, or be slaves to our wants and ways.
Learning to Rest
We do well to rehearse God's sovereignty over even the tiniest details of our lives. If we truly believe that He is in control, that He sees us and knows our situation, then we can be at peace with even the choices we label as our "fault", knowing that He redeems all that happens to us for our good and His glory by using it to help us learn. God is still okay with us – even in our shortcomings. There's nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less, because His love is already perfect, and because He is already pleased with us as a result of Christ's payment for our sins on the cross.
Leaning on Christ
Jesus is our constant friend and companion. He offers comfort and help when we feel loss over poor choices, mishaps, or even the "one that got away". In light of eternity, our temporary shortcomings don't count. Even so, Jesus cares about the small things and wants us to talk with Him about how we feel when something doesn't go the way we wish it would.
God knows what is best for us, always. We can be thankful that He makes advance choices for us in our favor, so that when it seems we've missed what's best, He has kept us from what is worst. How many times He has rescued us from our own poor choices! How much suffering He has spared us that we are unaware of! He guides and protects us, and in His economy, nothing goes to waste – not even our bad choices.
Be encouraged that you're not powerful enough to screw up. God has His hand on you; it is ultimately He who is in charge of every step of your life. May we all have a magnified view of God and a realistic view of ourselves!
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©2022 Julianne Knapp. First Published 12.6.22
Do you ever experience that angst over something just out of your reach? Maybe a missed opportunity, or getting there just as the last one was sold, or finding something better right after you made a commitment to buy the one you ended up with?How do we reconcile our near misses with our penchant for perfection? 'If only I had gotten that job, met that person, made a different decision, known in advance, gone to the party, bought the other one, or got there sooner' . . . . would we really get what we wanted? Is getting what we want really the best goal? We can drive ourselves CRAZY with "what ifs"!
Letting Go of "Control"
Our agitation over the loss of control points to our reality: we are not in control, and we live in an imperfect world. We are not going to achieve perfection, and even if we thought we did, it would be a lie. So we're faced with a choice: let go of our illusion of control, or be slaves to our wants and ways.
Learning to Rest
We do well to rehearse God's sovereignty over even the tiniest details of our lives. If we truly believe that He is in control, that He sees us and knows our situation, then we can be at peace with even the choices we label as our "fault", knowing that He redeems all that happens to us for our good and His glory by using it to help us learn. God is still okay with us – even in our shortcomings. There's nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less, because His love is already perfect, and because He is already pleased with us as a result of Christ's payment for our sins on the cross.
Leaning on Christ
Jesus is our constant friend and companion. He offers comfort and help when we feel loss over poor choices, mishaps, or even the "one that got away". In light of eternity, our temporary shortcomings don't count. Even so, Jesus cares about the small things and wants us to talk with Him about how we feel when something doesn't go the way we wish it would.
God knows what is best for us, always. We can be thankful that He makes advance choices for us in our favor, so that when it seems we've missed what's best, He has kept us from what is worst. How many times He has rescued us from our own poor choices! How much suffering He has spared us that we are unaware of! He guides and protects us, and in His economy, nothing goes to waste – not even our bad choices.
Be encouraged that you're not powerful enough to screw up. God has His hand on you; it is ultimately He who is in charge of every step of your life. May we all have a magnified view of God and a realistic view of ourselves!
Subscribe to free weekly articles in your inbox HERE; your information will never be shared. :-)
©2022 Julianne Knapp. First Published 12.6.22