the Father delights in honesty

I probably could have simply linked to this article, but I wanted to add just a thought to this.

A blog I read – DashHouse is going through an old book by Jack Miller entitled, ‘A Heart of a Servant Leader’.

Here is a quote that was shared today:

“Essentially I need to confess to God that I have a deep-seated need to protect and control my life and ministry. Once I acknowledge that hard, painful fact to Him, grace seems to stream into my life. Somehow the Father delights in honesty. Usually when my anxieties dominate and will not go away, I need to face the truth that my devotion is not being given to God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, but to myself.

But His cleansing through the blood of the perfect Lamb has been so powerful and freeing for both you and me. So let’s not be afraid to confess and forsake our ugliest sin and rely on the Spirit enabling us to put on Christ’s love for others. (p.66)”

I can so relate to that. I want desperately to control & protect (mostly control though) — my life & my ministry. The tighter I control, the more ‘peace’ I think I will have. Then I find out again & again, it actually does exactly the opposite & robs me of my peace, & robs me of my joy.

So today, I am trying to be brutally honest with God and admit my obsessiveness with control in my life. (Michelle actually teases me that I am borderline OCD. She might be right).
Today is the day that the Lord has made (whatever today holds, and whatever is staring me in the face today), & today I will rejoice (& let go of my insistence upon control) & be glad in it today! (Ps. 118)