*Don't Take The Lid Off!

Have you ever cooked real rice...not the minute stuff...but the real thing? I usually avoid it like the plague because for some reason I cannot seem to get it right. It takes patience and time...unlike the microwave minute rice. In order to make great rice you have got to first follow the recipe, put the ingredients in, put the lid on the pot and then most importantly, leave it alone! Why do I have such a hard time doing that? I have always been one to be so curious. I touch the wall that says, "wet paint", I open the doors that say "stay out"....yes I have issues. So of course I want to "look" in the pot when I cook something. I am unsure what I think that I would be seeing but I feel better to look and give it a good stir. Unfortunately, opening the lid releases the steam and the heat that is required to cook the rice evenly and it needs to be still and not moved around. It take more time to get back to the right temperature in order to cook it thoroughly and no one can really estimate now how much longer to cook it. So of course you have to take the lid off multiple times to give it the "crunch" test. Haha. Now I may have rice that is half-cooked and crunchy (been there and done that) or rice that is mushy and nasty. Isn't that just like life? We know what to do...we have the instructions but we don't follow the recipe and at times we end up with a mess!

 tarássō –  put in motion, to set in motion what needs to remain still, "trouble" ("agitate"), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside ("upset").

This morning at the She Speaks Conference, Lisa Terkeurst, an author, speaker and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries talked about the greek word tarasso. She was sharing about how we let things get "set in motion" in our minds and lives that cause us to forget who is truly in control. Terasso is the setting in motion of what needs to remain still.

Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Have you ever set into motion something in your life that really needed to be still? Emotions are like that and can take over our minds really fast. Panicking about where your kids are past curfew, how you are going to pay next months mortgage or how you are going to do in an upcoming job interview. We let scenarios play in our head like a bad horror movie. Okay...that is what I do! I dream of the 50 ways that something could go wrong and wake up with my heart racing. Although that may sound silly it is a lot of people's reality.

When we let our minds run and we worry about our todays and our tomorrows more than we think about Jesus can and will do; well we are letting someone else sit on the throne of our lives. We are essentially saying to the Father that we are our own provider. When we gather our questions, concerns and worry and give them to prayer then we are handing the reigns over and saying that we will not try to work them out on our own.

Give your cares and struggles to God. You will only "stir the pot" if you try to analyze and figure it all out on your own. God has a great track record and is going to take care of every little thing in your life. Just take your hands off of it and for goodness sakes...don't take the lid off of; because nobody has time for that. Give God full control and let Him make something beautiful out of your mess.

Prayer:

Father I speak peace into my life. Just like you spoke to the storm in Matthew Chapter 8; I claim that power and authority in my own life. I confess to making a mess and not relying on you to be the source and answer to my problems. I ask you to forgive me for putting myself on the throne and not looking to you when troubles arise. I step down and ask you Lord to be over my life completely. I give my worries, my cares, my struggles to you to work out. You are more King and I trust you and submit to the calling and plan that you have for my life. I want to walk in that peace and joy despite what is going on around me. Thank you for loving me and wanting the best for my life. Amen.


You are Graciously Adorned

❤ Jonna