Reminder: You Are Not God and Neither Am I

Sometimes I forget that I’m not God. Sometimes when someone I care about is going through a struggle I get frustrated because I can’t help them fix it.  I want them to have peace in their life, I want them to…be happy!  But it’s not my job to fix their problems.

This is especially difficult when the one with the problem is a family member.  And many times more difficult when it is your child.  What mother or father ever wants to see their child suffer?

But each of us has to learn our own lessons and God is the one doing the teaching. He’s the one who knows what the goal of the lesson is. He is the one who can tell when the lesson has been learned.

From our limited human perspective, we can get a twisted view of what’s happening.  We can’t know all the important details and if we try to do too much to help we end up muddling the whole thing.  We can do more harm than good even with the greatest of intentions. But it’s still hard. Hard to see someone you love suffer. Hard to see them broken and discouraged.

There are some things you can do without taking over God’s job.  You can pray. Pray scripture over their lives.  Some great verses to pray are:

“Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established.” Proverbs 16:3

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him…He shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him.” Psalm 91:14-16

“Eye has not seem nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

” (I)do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:16-19

Above all, keep loving them. Keep listening. Keep believing that God can do what you cannot.