Let me introduce you to my new favorite show, Alone. The contestants are experts in wilderness survival who are left alone in their own area of Northern Canada with ten items of their choice and high-dollar camera equipment to film their day-to-day trials. If they survive for 100 days without quitting, they win a million dollars. Each contestant goes in with abundant confidence in his or her own abilities, bragging to their camera about their preparation and grit. But what I have noticed is that no matter their abilities(and they are great), it only takes one accident or mistake to bring them to their knees, in tears, calling it quits. They do not have the control that they think they have. These highly trained survivalists succumb to things as simple as an injury or loss of a one of their ten items.
I saw this same concept at my class reunion. Classmates with so much ability and promise were stopped in their tracks by disease, accident or even death. A classmate who was an amazing athlete spent his entire adult life in a wheel chair. A top notch heart doctor suddenly died of unexpected heart issues. The bottom line is we don’t have as much control as we think we have. No matter our abilities, we are all vulnerable in a moment’s notice and often we never see it coming.
But I don’t say this believing we should live in fear. Quite the opposite. I believe we should be wise and learn to live in confidence in God; living reliantly on God yet doing everything in our power to be prepared. I guess my advice to those contestants on that survival show would be to go in prepared to do everything they can to survive yet admit to themselves, God, and their camera that they could be vulnerable in a moment. They should know deep within themselves that it is God who controls their outcome. Then maybe they would not leave broken and in tears when they must admit they cannot succeed.
So how would I apply this to my life of comfort? Well, I should continue to do everything I can do to be successful in my life, however, I should daily realize that it only takes one tiny circumstance that could take my life in a different direction in a moment. This is called humility. I should live in the habit of thanking God for what he does to sustain me and those I love. I should continually keep this attitude of humility in my own abilities and preparation. And if the unexpected turn happens, I will already be in the habit of relying on God for the next step. Then my spirit will not be broken by circumstance because I have given each day to God in total trust and reliance knowing He is in control and not me.
Psalm 73:23-26 NIV [23] Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.