July 22, 2025
Good afternoon,
” Wilderness forces us to let go of control. “Thank you for all your responses to my email about wilderness.
The above statement had me thinking for the last week. Do I give enough control over to God ? And what does that mean ? I cannot just give my life decisions over to God, and just coast along. God gave me a mind or brain or a conscience so I can be a co-creator with God. Do you agree with that ? When I was preaching, I did not wait for God to write my sermon. If you are an accountant , you do not wait for God to put all those numbers together. If you’re building a new house, you do not wait for Go to begin framing the house . We are in control of our lives, but how does God play into our lives and faith ? What does it mean to put faith in God, when we cannot just sit on the restful couch, and wait for God to affect our lives ?
” Wilderness forces us to let go of control ” What does it mean to let God control our lives ? Let go of worry ? Let go of anxiety ? Let go of fear ? Whatever happens in my life I must be in the Presence of God. The apostle Paul says that perfect love casts out all fear. I have not yet gotten to this stage of existence . I am nowhere close to attaining perfect love. Remember those dreams that I had a few days ago. In the New Testament, there are the conversion stories of some of the disciples. They left their occupations, and followed Jesus around. After Jesus ascended back to heaven, they led the church. They knew what to do, but they often got it wrong. But, they had to do it. They took what Jesus told them about how to love and be kind, and then they did it.
Can you name an example out of your own life, where you gave control over to God ? It might have been when we put Lucas on the school bus for the first time. Or, maybe, when I resigned from Floradale without any work prospects. I think farmers, and I am not a farmer, have faith of a different kind, after they put the seed in the ground. As I move into retirement, can I give up control to God in a new way ? I am just saying … ?
From A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver ( 2012 )
The Man who Has Many Answers
The man who has many answers
is often found
in the theaters of information
where he offers, graciously,
his deep findings.
While the man with only questions,
to comfort himself, makes music.
Corn ‘ blowing in the wind ‘
Fred
black and white shadows
crush humanity’s freedom
am I complicit ?
MPL 2025
Ponder Anew 