As a teenager, Bill Hybels (The Power of a Whisper) began to second-guess his commitment to devote himself more fully to God. At that point in time, an older Christian man invited Bill to dinner. Not one to pass up a free meal, Bill accepted. During the meal, the man challenged Bill to do something with his life that would outlive any earthly accomplishments:
“Why not put your whole life in God’s hands? Why not trust him fully? I challenge you to give him full clearance to lead your life- every area of your life- until the point that He proves himself to be untrustworthy. At that moment you can bail. But until then, give God total control. I challenge you to push the throttle as far as you can push it, and live your life wide open to God.”
When we suffer adversity, such as a ministry downsizing or position loss, we have 2 choices: (1) tenaciously cling to “control” of our loss by ruminating on what once was; or (2) giving total control to God. If we cling to God’s promises to be with us in and through our suffering, we have nothing to lose by giving God total control. While human beings and institutions aren’t always trustworthy, our God remains steadfast!
