No problem…can, can.

In a blog from Australia, I shared that I had preached my very first message under a streetlight in the middle of the outback with an aboriginal community. I remember the fear I felt before I spoke about having dozens of people just staring at me with blank faces, hoping that I would teach them something that would touch their hearts. I felt so much pressure to make the message fun and exciting and stressed out about it all day. Then, when I did speak, all pressure was removed and the Lord literally gave me the words to say without letting my own thoughts get in the way. It sort of felt like I blacked out for about 20 minutes and then opened my eyes and it was over. But the rush of adrenaline that surged through my veins after that filled me with so much joy.

Fast forward two months and me preaching in front of a group or church isn’t so scary anymore. I NEVER thought I would say that. I had the opportunity to share the other day during a Sunday church service, and before I had planned what to say, I knew I needed to pray about it. I asked God, what should I say? What do I want to share with them? What has God been teaching me lately? To which God laughed and said…it’s not about YOU…tell them what THEY need to hear. I thought, how the heck am I supposed to know what they need to hear? Then I remembered that message I gave under the streetlight in the middle of Australia. If I let the Holy Spirit take over, He will lead and give me the words to say. It makes it quite a bit less nerve-racking when I don’t have to worry about my own thoughts and input. I trusted that the Lord would lead again and He did.

Then I started to think about all the other things in my life that I try to control. Am I really trusting God in those areas? I’ve learned the hard way in life that if I try to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God with my own strength, I will continue to cycle through this pattern of failure and frustration. Through situations that I’ve been facing on the race, I am learning that the less control I have in any given situation, the more I GET to rely on God. No problem, God can.