Flowing
By Jeremy Glaze
I believe there is something in us all that desires to be a better person. This is prominent in my life when it comes to relationships especially. So much of my thoughts are geared toward the “how to’s” of becoming a better husband and a better father. It also extends to the other aspects of my life such as becoming a better leader, friend, son, brother, and even a better christian. We join couples groups to learn more about marriage. I have read parenting books to become a better father. I have attended seminars and conferences to become a better leader. I have changed parts of my lifestyle to become a better christian. All of these activities may be great and beneficial, but they can also become burdensome real quick.
The problem that I have found is when I focus so much on what to do to become better, it actually can get worse because my frustration sets in when I do not live up to what I believe I should be doing to become better at a particular relationship. All of these relationships that I am working on become more of a chore than what they were meant to be… relationships. The work overcomes the joy. And we all know that no matter how hard we work at it, we will not be perfect. And for me, I tend to dwell on my imperfection.
Until one day not long ago while I was reading Proverbs, I melted.
“My Son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways” (Proverbs 23:26 TNIV)
I just sat there and stared at this verse in awe. “My son, give me your heart”.
This verse spoke to me way out of context. The rest of the chapter may not have anything to do with what I was thinking about. But this verse just stood out on the page. Just give Him my heart.
If I just surrender my heart to God, I can rest in a relationship with Him. It is not work. It is not about becoming a better Christian or following rules. It is falling into the relationship that He has already set. And every other relationship I have with everyone else will flow from this relationship with God.
If I can feel the grace Jesus has given me, it is easy to show others grace.
If I truly receive His forgiveness, it will be hard not to forgive others.
If I can see the patience He has with me, I can be patient with others.
If I know He accepts me as I am, I will accept others as they are.
If I get that He understands me in my troubles, I will be more understanding of others.
If I realize the unconditional love He has for me, I can easily show love to others.
…and so on and so on…
Whether it is with my family, friends, colleagues, or strangers, these relationships will stem from the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father. Just like a huge river may feed several lakes along the way, this one relationship will flow into every other relationship along the way.
I love how this version uses the words “let” and “delight” in the next part of this verse.
I took it as “quit working to do it your way, and let your eyes delight in my ways”.
Jeremy Glaze
So I read this a few days ago and I liked it but didnt feel it was speaking to me personally. God has been working on me this week like no other!! Surrender, surrender, surrender, thats the name of the game. I’m in a totally new place in my journey than I was 6 days go, and this really encouraged me tonight. So thank you for your words. keep’em comin!
Thank you so much Ivy. I love it. It is the name of the game. I don’t know why we continue to resist surrendering. When we surrender, everything is always so much better.