Get Out of Cruise Control, then Hand Over the Keys

When things are going well in our lives - when we are on cruise control be-bopping down the highway of life - we really become self-sufficient.  I mean, even if you are a Christian who follows the Lord, surely you struggle with really hungering and thirsting for God when all the stars are aligned in your world. I do.

I believe we have this tendency to use the same routine or formula that has been working for us, day in, day out. After all...it is working. Why change things up?

So, we go about our lives, and because we love God, and we know He loves us, we sprinkle a little bit of Jesus here and there in the equation...just for good measure.  We think, "Things are peachy.  I love my life.  And, because I am a good Christian, I am going to give a shout-out to Jesus every now and then and make sure he's with me on this ride."

I don't honestly believe that we consciously THINK those things...but I do believe that is our approach most of the time.  When things are hunky-dory, our life looks like this: 

We Achieve Success >> We Experience Happiness >> We Have a Positive Outlook on Life >>We Thank God (sometimes).

But, when life sours a bit, and knocks us off the merry-go-round, the cycle looks a bit different.  Perhaps it looks like this:

We Experience Failure or Adversity >> We Experience Sadness or Anger >> We Have a Negative Outlook on Life >> We Desperately Seek God (perhaps after we have tried to figure it out ourselves).

It's in these arduous moments when we think and say things like, "I have never needed God more in my life than I do right now!"

And, while we certainly FEEL that way, it's not entirely accurate.  Even in the midst of our anxiety, sadness, dismay, and torment, we don't need Him more than we need Him when we're experiencing elation and accomplishment. 

We need exactly the same amount of Him all the time, regardless of what life throws our way.  Just because we FEEL like we need Him more doesn't mean we need Him more.  We just become aware that we need God when we cannot move forward on our own.

I challenge you today - whether you're at the pinnacle, or you're in the doldrums - to seek the Lord with all your heart, and ask him to be your Guide.  You'll find more peace when you hand over the keys and the Lord is in the driver's seat.