Gold in a Sea of Gravel

"I've got this! It's all under control. I don't need anyone's help. I can take care of myself. If I want it done right, I better do it myself." Ever heard anyone say anything like these phrases? Have you ever said them yourself? I know I have. I've tried to be Ms. Independent and Ms. Tough Girl, but it ws all in an effort to protect myself or prove that what I had to say was valid. It really just boils down to pride.

We all want to be validated and feel self-worth. Many of us think that we are the ONLY ones with a valid opinion and that it's our job to ensure that everyone else knows it. (You know you just thought of someone in your head...don't even try to deny it. LOL) When left in that state of mind, it is easy to believe we are self-sufficient as if somehow God struck pure gold when He created us and filled the rest of humanity with gravel.

Pride. I'll say it again...PRIDE.

Here is the truth about self-sufficiency: God is the only one who is truly self-sufficient. It's one of His attributes. Take a look:

Acts 17:24-28 (NLT)

24 "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can't serve his needs -- for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him -- though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, 'We are his offspring.'  

He clearly doesn't need our help with anything and we clearly need His help for everything. He has no need for assistance from us. He is the Creator and the One who filled an entire planet full of people by starting with only one man and one woman. It's nothing we could have done on our own without God's perfect design.

Furthermore, it is in Him that we live, move and even exist. We can't even breathe without God allowing it so how in the world do we think we can handle our problems, stress, addictions and sin without His help at every moment? How could we possibly overcome any of it without His help? We can't.

What does that mean for us? It means that we need to recogize the self-sufficiency of God, acknowledge our inability to be self-sufficient (less we become a victim of pride), and surrender every moment  to Him for His glory. You know that moment when you're about to put someone in their place? Yep, surrender that moment to Him and see how that changes the situation. That moment when you want to retaliate for someone being a complete jerk to you? Yep, surrender that moment, too. God is sufficient. He is enough. In fact, He is more than enough and more than we can handle in this lifetime. 

Oh, and one more thing to really bake your noodle: He is not far from any one of us (read verse 27 again). Don't think He's too far away to meet your needs. He is everywhere you go waiting for you to rely entirely upon Him alone. Let's not keep Him waiting.