When to Hustle and How to Trust

"Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of our Lord, our God." Psalm 20:7

A nasty cold as my temporary companion, I find myself sitting for a little longer than normal leading to much needed contemplation and reflection. There's laundry to do, and I noticed today my bathroom floor is overdue for a good get on my hands and knees scrubbing. But it can wait. The past few weeks have been filled with the cliche hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We've had our fair share of December sickness and stress, but, surprisingly, I find myself sitting on a couch of gratefulness. 

Remember my story back in September of how our business was scammed out of $14,000? Remember how we prayed for the scammer, "Sam," and how we decided to trust God to return the funds to us ten fold? If you missed the story, you can read it here. 

Praise report!!! 

God sent us a customer, out of the blue, who placed a large order with our company financially redeeming what was lost. In the words of my husband, "One man stole from us, and God sent one man to redeem us." The customer replaced what was lost and then some. He even told my husband he thought their paths had crossed for a reason. That's how God works. He wants to restore what was lost when we put our trust in Him. 

Sometimes things are returned in unexpected ways. Sometimes the return can take awhile to see. Sometimes the return is in our heavenly home and not our earthly home. 

There's a battle going on inside my head and my heart most of the time. A trust vs. hustle tug of war. Just how much should I do and how much should I expect God to do? When the money was originally taken, I started brainstorming ways to get it back. I'm a problem solver in that way. I wanted to do my part to fix it. I know I have to work for what I want and need. But I felt like I was already doing all I could do at that moment to be a wife, a mother, and work more than full-time hours.

I'm reminded of the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Sarah got tired of waiting on her promise of a son so she urged Abraham to sleep with Hagar, the maidservant,  who did become pregnant with a son, Ishmael. Sarah was hustling, not trusting. And it changed the course of history in a negative way. God did fulfill his promise to Abraham and Sarah, and Sarah had Isaac. Sarah's decision to hustle instead of trust caused division and warring that still continues today in the middle east.

How many battles do we fight in our every day life, because we don't allow God to fight for us? How many battles do we fight because we falsely feel like we are in control? 

Gradually, I am learning to tug less and trust more. I am learning if I do all I can, God will take care of the rest. He will take care of me. And even on days I could have physically done more, He can fill in the gaps with grace and mercy. He wants me to have rest. While I rest and trust, He works it all out for my good because I love Him. (Romans 8:28) 

I didn't have to do anything but trust for God to show up in our situation and say, "I am the God of more than enough. I've got this." 

Life is not perfect. Things don't always make sense. Bad things happen. But I have gotten to a point when I am delivered undesirable news, my eyes light up and I can say with faith, "It's going to be exciting to see how God works this one out" and "I wonder who all He will use in the process of bringing glory to His kingdom?" 

I hope He uses me. I hope I can be a part of the working out, a part of the solution. I hope I can encourage you, whatever promise you're waiting on tonight, to trust.

God's always on time. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1  Hustling in and of itself is not bad. Work is a good thing. But there's a balance we must learn. 

During difficult times, we are eager for the pain to subside, for things to get easier, for the hustle to stop, but God will never allow us to walk through something meaningless. He can offer so much to us when we're in the valley. There's always an opportunity for a deeper love, a deeper relationship with Him and with others, or an opportunity to learn to trust. 

I get a vision of myself riding a bicycle as a little girl with my Daddy holding on to the seat to keep me upright. I am pedaling with all my might and doing what I can to stay upright as I learn how to ride, but my Daddy's hand is there, on the seat, making sure I don't fall over. He's right beside me, balancing me, cheering me on. My Daddy never let go prematurely and neither will my Heavenly Father. 

If we want to get to where we are going, we have to ride the bike. We have to do our part, but we also have to trust God to keep us from falling. We have to trust Him to hold us up when we are weary, weak, and tired. 

Keep pedaling taking time to rest. Keep trusting taking time to learn. And as silly as it may sound, remember He's got the seat of your bike as long as you allow Him to hold on. We ride farther with him than without him. He's got you. 

Wishes for a merry and bright Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the one true King!