Give Me All You’ve Got!
On a recent vacation, our family rented a pontoon boat on a crystal clear lake surrounded by the beautiful North Carolina mountains. We added a little excitement to the experience by renting a tube to take the kids on some wild rides. The workers at the marina warned us to be careful of the many tree limbs floating in the water so, as my husband acted as Captain, our sons took their spots at the front of the boat to help their dad keep an eye out for any danger in our path. My place was at the back of the boat where I could throw out the rope and keep an eye on the tube riders.
My girls jumped out of the boat and onto the tube, eager for the experience. My husband took it easy on them at first, but then began the inevitable challenge of trying to toss them off of the tube. He increased the throttle, took the boat to full speed and began zig-zagging across the waters. The girls shrieked in with the excitement as they held on to the rope. When we took a break, one of them spoke up and said, “Don’t go easy on us, Dad. I want you to give us all you’ve got.”
Her overwhelming trust struck me. She was not concerned with floating logs or any other possible danger or injury. She trusted her father to take her on the adventure that he’d planned for her. From her spot, behind the boat, she could not see what was coming and she didn’t know what she might experience, but she trusted her dad to give her the ride of her life.
I was convicted of my own lack of trust in my Heavenly Father. So often, I want Him to show me the road ahead so that I can give my approval. I want a step-by-step plan with some nice guardrails and guarantees along the way. I want to avoid the inevitable (and sovereignly planned) bumps and detours because they remind me that I’m not really in control.
I realized, in that moment, how often I trust ME over HIM even though His word tells me to trust Him and not to rely on my limited knowledge.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
In that moment I also realized how often I forget that all things in this life, will work for my good and His glory. And, “all things” includes the bumps and detours, the scary moments and the times I realize just how little control I have.
And we know that, in all things, God works for the good of this who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
So, my prayer is this…..
Lord, help me to trust you over me. Help me to remember, day by day, that your understanding is good and perfect and that mine is so limited. Help me to remember that you work ALL things for my good. Help me to be able to say, “Give me all you got” because I know that a life lived fully trusting in you is the greatest adventure I will ever take.
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