I Want It My Way!

A time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

2 TIMOTHY 4:3-4

“THIS IS HOW YOU do it the right way,” says the teacher. “Let me show you.”

Humph, you think. Just you wait. I’m doing it my way because that’s what I want to do.

Have you been there?

God puts smart people in our lives to guide us. He knows we need instructions to follow and good people to show us the way. So when we decide we know better, things can get interesting.

Think of it this way. Imagine you were going to make a cake from an old family recipe. But instead of reading or looking at the recipe, you decided you knew how to make it better. How do you think your cake would turn out? You might have a flat, salty, ugly, bubbling-over cake rather than the beautiful, tasty, so-much-better-than-anyone-else’s cake you were expecting.

It’s true: we all get tired of being told what to do. But when we look at the people around us and understand that God’s the one who put them in our lives for a specific purpose, it’s easier to stop wanting to be the boss. These people are here to help us grow and learn, and we can be grateful—not resentful—of that.

DO

Go outside. Now, try telling the wind when to blow. How well did that work? Try telling the sun when to shine brighter. How well did that work? Try telling the grass to grow up to your knees. Any luck?

What does this tell you about how much difference it makes when we boss things around? Do you think there’s ever a good time to be in charge? When is it important to let others be in charge?

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for being the Big Boss. Thank you for putting people in my life to help me learn and grow. Please remind me the next time I want to be the boss that sometimes it’s more important to learn than to be in charge. Amen.

READ

Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 1:8-9