What Is Your Hotdog?

“The mind of man plans his way. But the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9.

One of the funniest stories in our family is one regarding my son when he was two years old. He threw a hotdog on the floor refusing to pick it up. His plans included winning this power struggle and my plans included directing him in the right way of obeying my wishes and following through with my commands. This power struggle didn’t end pretty as I finally forced his hand onto the hotdog, squeezed his little fist around it and forced his hand over the trash can. There was no sense of satisfaction in that because I knew the results came from me directing his actions, not out of his desire to please me.

I believe God feels the same way about our lives. We plan the way in which we will walk in certain situations not allowing God to direct our steps. We decide we want to do something and follow through with that plan without regard to what God is saying on that matter. We enter into a power struggle with God over what we are willing to release or pick up in any given situation.

Our plans would never include raising a drug addicted teen, living in a loveless marriage, raising our children as a single parent or experiencing the death of a loved one. Our plans would never include financial devastation or the loss of a job. Our way may be enacted by our will but the Lord will always direct our steps whether our plans are ours alone or obedience to the plans He has for us.

When God reveals something I am to do that I really don’t want to do I feel like my son who was made to squeeze that hotdog and pick it up. The closer I align myself to God the more aligned my heart is in pleasing and trusting Him apart from my own plans. Intimacy with Him helps my heart hear what He is requiring of me and powers my obedience to Him.

I love a line out of a Casting Crown song which states, "How close can I get to my surrender without losing all control?" Is that not the million dollar question?

God wants our plans to be the same as His so that when we are asked to do something our hearts will be bent towards pleasing Him and surrendering all of our plans to Him.