I’m not always the best passenger. I’m used to driving most of the time, probably because I like being in control of my situations. As a result, I often, though not always out loud, find myself critiquing my wife’s driving. I wonder, “Why did you turn there?” or “You can go faster.” Then a few minutes later, “You might want to slow down.”
Here’s the thing: she gets us safely where we need to go. It may not be the way I would do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
Sometimes we have to let go of control and trust certain things in our lives to others.
If you’ve ever taught someone to drive, you know there comes a point where you have to stop giving constant instructions. Eventually, you have to let them drive without you and trust that they will be okay.
This principle applies to much more than driving. There are areas of our lives where we wear ourselves out trying to control everything when we really need to let go and allow someone else to help carry the responsibility.
Moses found himself in that position while leading Israel. He spent his days judging every dispute among the people until his father-in-law, Jethro, pointed out that what he was doing was not sustainable. Moses needed help.
At that moment, Moses had a choice. He could continue doing everything himself, or he could trust others with part of the work. Thankfully, he listened. But accepting help required more than appointing leaders; it required trust. Those men would not always handle situations exactly as Moses would have, but different does not necessarily mean wrong.
Take a moment and look at your own life. Where are you trying to control something that you need to trust to someone else? Where are you refusing help because no one will do it exactly the way you would?
Scripture instructs us to bear one another’s burdens. That means we must be willing not only to help carry the burdens of others, but also to allow others to help carry ours.
Galatians 6:2 (KJV) Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Leave a Reply