Results. We are a results-driven society. It seems that if we don’t have something to show for our efforts, then there was no reason to go through the process. I’ve wanted to hold God to an agreement. If I do step A, B, and C, then He’ll come through with step D.
Unfortunately, God doesn’t work like that. He’s more interested in the process of changing my heart than in the end results of the effort. I might not ever see the reward on this side of heaven for all my efforts and I need to ask myself, “Am I okay with that? Will I still be happy, content, and fulfilled with the journey God has me on even if I don’t get the result I want?”
Some days these questions are hard for me to swallow. My efforts on certain projects at the office go unnoticed, but God knows. I carefully craft words to share with the world for encouragement to answer the calling I feel God has placed on my life. Then only my friends and family read it, but God sees my obedience.
The bottom line is, am I okay with only God seeing what I am doing or do I need the results and recognition I crave to be happy with God? Am I content to trust him as my Adventure Director or do I need to direct the path and inform God the way things should go? When I see it in writing, I wonder, who do I think I am telling the God of the universe what to do? But, I’m embarrassed to admit, I do it more often than not.
My worth, my efforts are tied up in the results I expect rather than the ones God wants to give me. I’ve found time and time again that God’s gifts are infinitely better than anything I can imagine for myself. So what will it take for me to let go of the results?
Here are a few steps I’m taking.
- Keep an answered prayer journal. When I look back on all the ways God has blessed me by answering my prayers and ways I haven’t even thought of asking, it increases my faith that He has not left me. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Keep a gratitude journal. Every night I write down five things I’m grateful for. This practice started because I bought a planner. I’m a sucker for a colorful, beautifully designed planner. Anyway, when it arrived in the mail, I quickly realized it wasn’t going to meet my needs for work. I couldn’t return it, so I thought it would collect dust on my shelf. When I was driving home from work and the DJ on the radio shared how he wrote down one positive thing in his calendar every day. It sparked the idea to write down things I’m grateful for every day in this journal that was sitting on my shelf. The journal had five lines for each day of the week so I decided to write down five things everyday. The stipulation I put on myself is that each entry had to be new. For example I couldn’t write thank you for bringing my family home safe today. While I am grateful for that everyday, it limits what I look for to write in my gratitude journal. At the end of the year, I should have 1,825 things written down. I say should because I missed two days this year because I have a stomach flu. It’s hard to think, write and be grateful when you’re lying on your bathroom floor. Those sick days aside, I’ve been writing in my gratitude journal every day since the beginning of January. As far as I know I haven’t repeated a single phrase of thanks. Each day, God shows me different ways to thank him, even in the day to day minutiae of life. I realize there’s always something to be thankful for everyday. This gratitude has allowed me to release the results of my efforts.
Are there areas of your life where you need to release results? Share in the comments below to encourage others.