What if I told you that no matter how hard you work, you may not get the exact results you are aiming for. Or rather no matter how much time and effort you put into figuring out a situation, you still will not have enough wisdom to find the right answer on your own. We continue to find ourselves in places where we feel that if we apply ourselves using our own strength then we will be the master of our faith. We must be the one in charge (ok we may not say it but our actions portray that), therefore if we work harder than others we will have everything we need. I am by no means telling anyone not to work hard … but catch this, have you ever questioned why someone else who does less work, less attractive personality, probably has not said a prayer longer than a minute, just all around the opposite of hard work is getting the results you wish you had in your life? Ok, ya’ll probably never had that issue, so I will stand up and say yes I have.
I have questioned why I was not good enough for that opportunity, and someone else who did not seem to care got it. I have questioned why things could not work out with my partner and I but instead others who complain about their relationship, things seem to work out for them. I have asked why it is taking years to see the manifestation of something I have been believing to happen in my life not occur. I mean why do others get to live a cozy lifestyle but here I am always having to plan my next move, always having to be “strong”, craving stability. When I say I have prayed, I have fasted, and I have been quiet yet nothing. Does God not see my efforts as a Christian, I stand in the gap for others, I do not envy, I am caring, (continues list of all great things I have done, blah blah blah) ….. am I not good enough?
In the mist of my struggling thoughts, in the mist of turmoil, in the mist of chaos and just not knowing what or how the next will pan out… the God of the universe, the God of Abraham, my Abba father reminds me of this scripture.
“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Eccelesiastes 9:11- KJV).
I have had this thing all wrong. Like completely wrong. I have been a born-again Christian for 5 years and I still had not developed the spiritual maturity to understand that, God is not pressed by how hard I work. He is not jumping on the fact that I am being “good” so he could answer my personal selfish request. He has not made a situation work in my favor because I outsmarted everyone else. Being wise does not mean that I will be able to solve my issues apart from him.
The scripture above shows me numerous things about this life journey I am on and I will share with you a few in hopes that it may encourage “US” to partner with God “smarter and not harder”:
“that the race is not to the swift” – YOU DO NOT NEED TO RUSH ANYTHING! It does not matter if you arrive to whatever it is later or sooner than your peers. This may be cliché to say, but your timeline is REALLY not God’s timeline. Trying to quickly climb up this invisible ladder to prove a point to others, or to rush your process will leave you with harder issues to deal with at the end. Rather taking your time to understand self, understand you are going to reach peaks but not without being in some valleys (highs/lows in life). When an issue rises not quickly trying to solve it but taking the time to process, taking the time to seek God’s help for guidance, not rushing just to get an answer. You are not impressing God by coming up quickly with solutions. There’s no Gold medal for your quickness.
“nor the battle to the strong” – You can be strong all you want BUT every person has a weak spot, something that will bring them to their knees. Even though society tells you, you need to be strong, experiences you have been through have forced you to be strong, but ultimately your strength will not always apply in every situation. You are not winning because you are a strong (insert slogan) whatever, carrying the weight of things and always having to have it figured out is EXHAUSTING. God knows that, and he sees it, and he is ready to carry that weight for you. He did not say the strongest will make it to Heaven, only the strongest can be in my presence, only the strongest will be successful… he said, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). It is in true weakness you find strength because you have the capability to surrender and allow God to do the work in your life. Your strength does not give you the victory is this race, God does. You can rest knowing you have the victory over every circumstance you are up against.
nor yet favour to men of skill – The phrase, “favor ain’t fair” is absolutely true because God is not granting anyone favor based on their “Good deeds”. God favors based on how he sees fit. Based on the need around you or what is to come, what blessings will transpire from it. You can be a person who works harder than your peers and it takes you years to get promoted to your next level, and someone else walks right into the level you have been trying to achieve within a second (oou I felt that for someone), that person may have received the favor of God on that and there is nothing you can do about it. Your skills are important but understand that God is also not a genie ready at your becking call just because you are more accomplished, smarter or faster than others. Your favor has your name on it, whether it is in the workplace, in your family, relationships, for tangible things… what God has for you, HE WILL BRING it about for you. Stop trying to persuade God into favoring you, he already knows when and how to do it.
but time and chance happeneth to them all – One of thee hardest to understand in my natural mind, it is such a line with depth that I do not have enough words to explain it. Time is working for you not against you. By chance you may have applied yourself to something and it really worked out. On the other hand, something else absolutely does not. It does not mean it will not happen, it may not be its time for it yet. You may have been committing the same sin over years, and never got your act together and by chance the last time you committed it, you were caught and got reprimanded for your actions. The time came for you to finally deal with your situation. I say all that to say, life is a balance, comparing your life to someone else is honestly not even worth it. You are on a path where you must find your sweet spot with God. Understanding that there are things that will happen for, to and with you, whether you are a hard worker, lazy, present, hurting… it is a matter of staying in the race, not giving up. Knowing that God is working for you not against you. Favor has not missed you, God did not skip over you and no matter how smart, faithful, wise, strong you are, you cannot convince God to bless you any quicker than he is ready to.
My ongoing goal (NOT EASY) is to commit my actions to God and allow him to define and make me successful. By no means am I trying to work harder in this life to prove anything. I am on this journey of self-love, healing, growing, encouraging, purpose and understanding of who God is for my life. It starts with me being honest with myself and focusing on the race that God set before me, not my peers.
I pray you do not give up in this race, stay committed and see it through until the end. You are made for this and purposed to accomplish incredible things. Your blessings are not delayed, they are awaiting your arrival.
