Knowledge and Common Sense
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
For all you tech gurus or just anyone with some common sense, feel free to laugh out loud or roll your eyes at this one. Trust me, I did, and this story is about ME!
A dear friend’s birthday was this past weekend. It was a special one, so her husband decided to throw her a surprise party. He handed off the invitation to my husband at church and asked if I could send it out to our home group for him. I was happy to help surprise her!
The next morning I sat down at my computer, composed the email with all the details of the surprise party, excited to play a part in celebrating our friend.
Do you know those moments when the realization of a situation sets in and you find your mind going in different directions trying to figure out a solution to the problem you just encountered?
That was me. I realized I had a problem on my hands. She is normally not the one to check their email, but it would be my luck that this would be the one time she would. I am in charge of letting our home group know of her SURPRISE party and I might be the one to blow it.
I could call her husband and let him know I am sending the email so that he can check it before she does.
Have you figured this out yet? Don’t let your eyes roll to the back of your head for too long. My mom used to tell me they’ll get stuck there. Is your side hurting from laughing yet? It’s okay if it is.
For those of us who are not technologically savvy, this problem was real. I sat for a good two minutes trying to figure out how to insure our home group knew of her party without letting her know.
In those moments I sat at my computer I chose not to let this situation get me anxious. I knew there had to be a solution and there was nothing I needed to be anxious over. I just needed to sit and figure this out.
God gives us His Holy Spirit to calm our anxious hearts (Psalm 42:5, Psalm 46:2-3, 2 Thessalonians 3:16). Allow His Spirit to calm you in the midst of all your situations.
Here is where I laughed out loud at myself and rolled my eyes at this situation.
Hello!! Remove their name from the distribution list!
I know, I know…Duh, right?
In this stellar example of my very limited tech sense, God showed me another lesson to learn.
Too often I can make listening to God much more complicated than what it needs to be. I can, at times, allow myself to become anxious over situations that I really don’t need to be anxious over. I just need to sit and listen. Listen to the Holy Spirit within me.
I also need to rely on the knowledge I do have of God’s Word. No matter how well versed we are in Scripture, or if we are new to God’s Word, His Word is powerful to help us, comfort us and guide us (Hebrews 4:12, 2timothy 3:16).
God tells us to keep His Word hidden in our hearts (Deuteronomy 11:18, Psalm 119:11).
When we do this we have that knowledge we need when we find ourselves in situations that need some sense.
God gives us experiences for common sense, but He gives us His Word for God sense.
You see, I am not completely illiterate to technology. I do have some computer skills. I knew how to remove their name from the distribution list so they would never see the email I sent out, keeping her celebration a surprise. I just needed to rely on the (little) knowledge I do have and not get anxious over a situation that I did have control over.
Before you allow your enemy to cause you anxiety over a situation stop, evaluate your situation and listen to God. Rely on the knowledge you do have and ask God for His wisdom in this situation.
Lord, before I allow anxiety to rule my heart help me to stop and allow your Word to rule my emotions. Help me rely on the experiences you have given me, but more importantly to rely on Your Word and allow Your Holy Spirit to guide me.