Heart Touchers

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{HeartTouchers.com} *Why I'm Quitting*

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Why I'm Quitting

by Rubel Shelly

God, there's just not enough room for both of us to be in charge of my life. It's not that I haven't taken the job seriously, mind you! I have fretted, laid awake nights, and worked out the most detailed and wonderful schemes. The problem is not with the planning and scheming. It's with the "control" thing. Or, perhaps I should have said, the lack-of-control thing. I don't really have any.

Oh, I know. You have repeatedly told me that you are competent to be in charge and that putting you in charge would relieve me of worry. But I seem to enjoy it. The fact that I'm worried about tomorrow seems to tell my sick soul that I somehow have a semblance of control over it. But I don't. I just don't.

Then there's the mess I make of things. The worried-over plan begins to be put in motion, one of those things or people I can't control comes into play, and the bus runs into the ditch! I try to press on. I try to force outcomes. The ditch gets deeper, and the pain begins to come.

Even so, you show up and offer to take control. You ask me - without ever forcing things - to turn loose of the wheel and trust you to steer. Sometimes I want to. I really do. Then something wells up inside that makes me push you away. Tell you I can do it all by myself. Truth be told, I'm often thinking that just as soon as I get this thing out of the ditch I'm going to ask you to drive. I never do.

Then there are the people on the bus with me. They are always the people I love most and for whose welfare I care most passionately. When I drive, then wreck, then push you away, I sense their disappointment. Even that, however, hasn't been enough to this point. It kills me to know I'm hurting them, but I still want to steer. I want to be at the controls. I want to be in charge.

The time has come to try another approach. Oh, it's not that I want to be heard saying that your way is the way of last resort for me. Or maybe it is. But I'm just so tired. And banged up. And you and I both know things aren't getting better with me in charge. So that's why I've made up my mind.

God, I'm quitting. No more Mr. Know-It-All. No more having to be in charge. No more playing like I know more about myself than you do. You're in control from this point forward. Heart and mind and body. Family and personal. Career and social. Thursday as well as Sunday. It's all yours now. I resign as co-god!

And even if you were (understandably) reluctant to take over after the mess I've made to date, I'm warning you: From now on you're God - and I'm not!

Rubel Shelly
whcoc@edge.net

Write Rubel and let him know what you thought of his story!

(c) 2005 Rubel Shelly. Used by permission.

Visit: http://www.faithmatters.com to read more of Rubel's writing.

Rubel Shelly has preached for the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ in Nashville since 1978. During that time, he has also taught at David Lipscomb University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is the author of more than 20 books, including several which have been translated into languages such as Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Russian. He is married to the former Myra Shappley, and they are the parents of three children: Mrs. David (Michelle) Arms, Tim, and Tom.

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Thought For The Day:

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

Verse for the Day:

"Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
1 Peter 2:21

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"You work so hard pedaling up the hill that you hate to brake on the way down."

Parent's Thought For The Day:

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglas

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the others willing to let them." - Robert Frost

Writer's Thought For The Day:

"If I could give you just one piece of advice it would be this: Think of yourself as a wild-beast trainer, and your idea as a big cat in your show. Walking out onto the stage and saying, 'Hey, look at my lion,' isn't going to cut it. Well, oil up your whip and make sure you've got a good, stout chair, because somebody's going to have to make you do that, and that somebody is you. You've got an idea in your head, and that's good; now let's see you put your head into the idea's mouth." --Gene Wolfe

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Can you believe how many award shows they have now? They have awards for
commercials. The Cleo Awards. A whole show full of commercials. I taped it
and then I fast forwarded through the whole thing."

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Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business

Dear Michael,

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for the beautiful video you made for me! It was so special to see both of my parents in tears as they watched their children grow up in pictures before their eyes! I loved the way you made Estania's part set aside from the rest--that was the part that really got them! The music was beautiful. My mom kept blubbering, "What song is that?" I don't know how you did such a beautiful job with the video in such a short time. I really appreciate your doing it so quickly. You have a wonderful gift, and I thank God that you are using it to create such sentimental memories. I hope that I can find my niche like that in an area that I love. Your video gave us one of our most lasting Christmas memories! I hope yours was filled with moments to be treasured forever!
Love,
Trisha
Silverhill, AL

Let me make you a video from your photos!
Check out my video production business
by visiting: http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery

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Do you feel as if life has no meaning for you?
http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm