So How Do I Put Things in God's Hands and Stop Focusing on ME?
I get the idea that we should put things in God's hands. And I get that I need to stop focusing on ME if I'm going to not only work for His greater glory, but really, truly work knowing that the results are really in His Hands.
It's not a matter of sitting back an letting God do the actual work, of course. We're all responsible for what's on our plate. We all need to do the best we can, given our skills and talents. But once that's done, we've got to understand that however things turn out, it's part of God's plan, not ours.
Now, to be clear, this understanding doesn't preclude our own planning. It's not a matter of just willy-nilly doing whatever. Our planning can include goals and objectives that we've determined are worthy of our efforts. And, yes, we strive to accomplish these. After all, no matter our state of life, or our particular circumstances, we all share this: We work for the greater glory of God, the welfare of our families, the benefit of our clients and customers, and the common good.
How each of us goes about doing that will vary according to our skills, talents, and temperaments. But we all share the basics. At least that's how I see it.
Now, having prudently thought through your plans, ideally putting your goals and objectives in writing, and getting down to the daily tasks that you hope will accomplish them, what's left? Results, right? You monitor your results and adjust your efforts along with way to stay on track and keep striving to succeed.
That's all normal, human effort. But in the end, results depend on God. It's God's Plan that prevails, no matter how good your plan might be, or how hard to you work it. If you're not on board with this, but would like be, you've got to first understand and accept that it's true. Then you've got to do whatever needs doing to live according to that understanding. It might take some training. But don't worry, you don't have to attend any "training classes" or pay some consultant or "coach" for this sort of training. Here's a simple example (from Father Gerald Vann, O.P.) of how you go about adjusting your thinking and behavior to get in line with the idea that God's Plan ultimately matters most:
“Once again it is a question of training ourselves, and of starting in small ways. Think of some example of the sort of thing that causes you, individually, to become agitated and to fuss. It might be the missing of a train: you are on your way to some important duty, and it seems to be God’s will that you should do it; but you miss the train, and then you begin to fume and fret; you ‘get into a state’, and all to no purpose; whereas you should be telling yourself: Well, I thought God wanted me to catch the train, but He evidently didn’t, and so that’s that; if He wants me here, His will be done. And then you could fill in the time doing something useful instead of pacing up and down the platform like a caged lion and exacerbating your nerves and wasting your time.”
I've been in exactly this sort of situation more than once. And, yes, at first I'd get into "a state." It was usually some super-agitated combination of confusion, anger, worry, anxiety, resentment with a host of other emotions thrown in depending on the circumstance. But you know what? None of it brought the train back to the station.
So, over time, and with the help of prayerful consideration, good spiritual reading, receiving the sacraments and the graces they impart, the lesson of Father Vann's little example began to slowly work it's way into my thinking and behavior. And with that "new dawn" came the ability to cage the lion and do "something useful."
My "go to" is the rosary if time allows, or simply some favorite prayers. Occasionally, when I can really calm down and recollect myself, I might even just talk to God. It's nothing complicated or profound. Just maybe telling Him what's happening (as if He didn't know!), and how I'm feeling. The simpler the better.
And if I can do this, anyone can. Seriously.
It certainly helps me put things in God's Hands, where they belong, and takes the focus of me.
It's not a matter of sitting back an letting God do the actual work, of course. We're all responsible for what's on our plate. We all need to do the best we can, given our skills and talents. But once that's done, we've got to understand that however things turn out, it's part of God's plan, not ours.
Now, to be clear, this understanding doesn't preclude our own planning. It's not a matter of just willy-nilly doing whatever. Our planning can include goals and objectives that we've determined are worthy of our efforts. And, yes, we strive to accomplish these. After all, no matter our state of life, or our particular circumstances, we all share this: We work for the greater glory of God, the welfare of our families, the benefit of our clients and customers, and the common good.
How each of us goes about doing that will vary according to our skills, talents, and temperaments. But we all share the basics. At least that's how I see it.
Now, having prudently thought through your plans, ideally putting your goals and objectives in writing, and getting down to the daily tasks that you hope will accomplish them, what's left? Results, right? You monitor your results and adjust your efforts along with way to stay on track and keep striving to succeed.
That's all normal, human effort. But in the end, results depend on God. It's God's Plan that prevails, no matter how good your plan might be, or how hard to you work it. If you're not on board with this, but would like be, you've got to first understand and accept that it's true. Then you've got to do whatever needs doing to live according to that understanding. It might take some training. But don't worry, you don't have to attend any "training classes" or pay some consultant or "coach" for this sort of training. Here's a simple example (from Father Gerald Vann, O.P.) of how you go about adjusting your thinking and behavior to get in line with the idea that God's Plan ultimately matters most:
“Once again it is a question of training ourselves, and of starting in small ways. Think of some example of the sort of thing that causes you, individually, to become agitated and to fuss. It might be the missing of a train: you are on your way to some important duty, and it seems to be God’s will that you should do it; but you miss the train, and then you begin to fume and fret; you ‘get into a state’, and all to no purpose; whereas you should be telling yourself: Well, I thought God wanted me to catch the train, but He evidently didn’t, and so that’s that; if He wants me here, His will be done. And then you could fill in the time doing something useful instead of pacing up and down the platform like a caged lion and exacerbating your nerves and wasting your time.”
I've been in exactly this sort of situation more than once. And, yes, at first I'd get into "a state." It was usually some super-agitated combination of confusion, anger, worry, anxiety, resentment with a host of other emotions thrown in depending on the circumstance. But you know what? None of it brought the train back to the station.
So, over time, and with the help of prayerful consideration, good spiritual reading, receiving the sacraments and the graces they impart, the lesson of Father Vann's little example began to slowly work it's way into my thinking and behavior. And with that "new dawn" came the ability to cage the lion and do "something useful."
My "go to" is the rosary if time allows, or simply some favorite prayers. Occasionally, when I can really calm down and recollect myself, I might even just talk to God. It's nothing complicated or profound. Just maybe telling Him what's happening (as if He didn't know!), and how I'm feeling. The simpler the better.
And if I can do this, anyone can. Seriously.
It certainly helps me put things in God's Hands, where they belong, and takes the focus of me.
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