Who's In Charge Here?

Well, we got a bunch more snow and wind over the weekend.  And now we've got a bunch more snow and wind in the middle of this week.

I don’t know anyone who’s happy about that.  Even my friends who claim to love winter are tired of it.  Even the school kids, who usually are happy to have a snow day, have had all the snow days they can use.  We’re all ready for spring and warm weather.  Or at least, for a few sunny days without snow.  But, here we are.  We can’t do anything about it.  All we can do is find a way to deal with it.

That’s how life works sometimes, isn’t it?  There are a lot of things that happen that we’re not happy about.  We think, if only things would go right for a change.  Or at least, if only things would stop going wrong.  But things keep going the way they’re going.  And we can’t do anything about it.  All we can do is find a way to deal with it.

It can be very frustrating when things happen like that.  And the thing is that not only can we not do anything about it, we really cannot blame anyone for it.  There’s not a person we can go and confront or even yell at.  I suppose we could blame God, but that’s pretty unsatisfying.  What are we going to do, walk outside and yell and shake our fists at the sky?  It might make us feel better for a few seconds, but it’s not going to change anything.

So, we’re left with finding a way to deal with it.  I wonder if one of the reasons God allows things like this to happen is to remind us of who’s in control here.  I mean, most of us would acknowledge that God is in control, but a lot of us like to live our lives under the illusion that we’re actually in control.  We like to think that we’re captains of our fate, masters of our destiny.  And then a snowstorm comes along, or something else happens, and we’re reminded that we’re not really in control of much of anything.  There are all kinds of things that happen that we cannot do anything about at all.

So, again, we need to find a way to deal with it.  One way, which may help you, is to simply accept it.  I mean, if we cannot change it, and if yelling about it doesn’t help, what else is there, really?  We accept things, sometimes, simply because we have no other choice.

Sometimes the things we have to accept are worse than a snowstorm.  Sometimes it’s the loss of a loved one.  Sometimes it’s a terrible illness or injury.  Sometimes it’s the loss of a relationship.  There are all kinds of bad things that happen.  They are very hard to accept sometimes.  But again, if we cannot change them, what else can we do but accept them?

In accepting them, however, remember this.  God truly is in control.  That does not mean that God causes bad things to happen, but Romans 8 tells us that God can work all things for the good of those who love him.  All things.  God’s ways are better than our ways.  God’s plans are better than our plans.  And God’s timing is better than our timing. 

So the best thing to do is simply put our faith in God, trust God, and find a way to deal with whatever life throws at us.  Life can be hard, but God is there.  And God is always faithful.