Cafe Chat

Today's question on Cafe Chat was:
What is the most important truth/lesson you feel God taught you in 2008? How will that truth change your life in 2009?

I honestly can't even begin to imagine how many very important lessons God has attempted to teach me in the past year. Sometimes I'm just not aware of the lessons/truths until much later...I'm slow, I know! :) One lesson I have learned this year (and am trying to improve upon) is that God doesn't expect me to handle things alone. He expects me to give my fears and anxieties to Him. I've always felt as though I "should" be able to handle everything and felt like a failure when I fell apart because I couldn't handle things on my own. I now know that I have to give it to God. Max Lucado made an amazing analogy in his book Traveling Light that really stuck with me. I can't relay it to you as artfully as he did, but I'll give it a shot. Imagine you're in an airport with your child. She is attempting to carry the family suitcase on her own. Seeing this, I'm sure I would tell her to put it down and let me carry it. This is what God thinks of us trying to carry our fears, anxieties, guilt, etc. It's all big baggage that he doesn't expect us to carry on our own. We're the children, after all. This really made an impact on me. So now I am making every attempt to give it to God to handle. I'm improving but still catch myself freaking out from time to time. In 2009 I will continue my journey to allow my Heavenly Father to carry this child's baggage. I have a feeling it might take a little time before I'm able to really let it all go. Eventually, though, I have faith that I will learn.