Getting Un-busy

I have a tendency, about which I believe I've written before: I tend to try to make things harder than they need to be.

I'm not sure when or where I acquired this habit, but I definitely have a propensity for activity and doing. You've heard that phrase, "You're a human being, not a human doing." Yeah, well, I need to be reminded of that on a regular basis.

So, it comes as no surprise to me that this particular area has come up again in my latest spiritual lesson. I've been wrangling with some faith concepts lately, and have had a hard time reconciling them inside my head. My understanding, as of today, is that while God is all powerful, He has given us free will, and so some things that He desires may never come to pass, because He has, in essence, delegated (for lack of a better word) some of His authority to us here on earth. Now, please be forgiving with me; I'm no theologist, and as I've said, I'm just learning to wrap my brain around this stuff in a better way, so my explanation is likely lacking.

In any case, at the same time, I've found myself confused by this concept and some of its more finite applications in my life. For example, this makes perfect sense to me in the realm of salvation. I know that God would like for all of us to be saved; and I know that He has the ability to simply make it so. However, an action (of belief) is required on my part in order for me to receive the thing He desires to give me. That's how He set it up. Okay, makes sense...mostly, I'm thinking, because around salvation specifically, this is a concept that's been studied in depth in my life and often discussed, preached about, etc.

But what about something more individual? Say, God promises to give me a certain blessing... and I feel certain of His promise. Am I supposed to do anything in order to bring it about? Sometimes the preparation is obvious, but what about when I get to the end of the preparation?

Well, I had a very wise friend give me some insight on this topic today. She used a word that helped everything "click" for me: cooperation. She said that, in essence, she thinks our part is to simply cooperate with what God is doing. If He guides me to pray for this thing to come into being, I pray for it. If He guides me to keep praying, I keep praying. If He asks me to job to France and back, Okay... you get my point.

The most important thing is that I remember that it's HIM who is doing the thing; He made the promise, and I trust Him to deliver. And that (contrary to my aforementioned tendencies) I do NOT need to come up with my own "to do" list of things that I have to do in order for said thing to come about. Sometimes, the only thing on my list is simply to believe. To believe, to take heart, be strong and wait on the Lord. Then I get to practice that thing that is sometimes so foreign to me: resting. In Him. What a lesson; I'm so grateful for my Teacher!