"I can't do this!"

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." -Psalm 40:1-2

I felt nothing but pure terror when I realized that I could not, by my own effort, bring about the things that mattered most to me. I cared most about restoring my marriage and providing a healthy, stable environment for my kids. All my efforts were bombing. My marriage was disintegrating before my eyes. I lived life in crisis mode, reacting in crazy ways to my circumstances. My temper grew increasingly short with the kids, and I could see the alarm in their eyes when I lost control of my emotions and yelled. I was working hard, hard, HARD to change my circumstances, to change my husband, to change my kids, to change myself. The more I tried, the more chaotic things became.

It was the beginning of something new when I admitted, for the first time, that I could not change or fix anything on my own. Knowing that I was unable, I was forced on my face before God. Over time, I began to realize that it was not my job to control people, places, or things. I began to cross "managing my life" off of my to-do list and putting it onto God's. I couldn't even carry out my desire to do the right thing without messing it up. This, too, went off of my to-do list and onto God's.

This still trips me up all the time. I am an action-oriented person, and I like to do things myself. When I don't let go of the things I can't control, though, my life quickly fills with anxiety and frustration. These emotions are my reminder that I need to let go of control and, once again, cross some items off my list and transfer them to God's. He hasn't dropped the ball yet.

Knowing our need is a gift. It enables us to get out of the way and go to the One who can control all the things we can't.

TOOL: The phrase, "Let go and let God" is a concise reminder that God is waiting for us to hand our messes to him so that he can start bringing order and peace in the midst of hopeless chaos. It is not too big for him.