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A few months ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a message delivered by Oklahoma softball chaplain Sarah Roberts She was brought in by Union University’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to talk to all of the athletes, coaches, and athletic department staff.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t thrilled to be going. In fact, if it hadn’t been mandatory, I wouldn’t have because I was heading home that night and had other things I wanted to do, but little did I know that what the Lord had given Roberts to say was exactly what I needed to hear.
The Scripture that Roberts read was Luke 10:38-42, which says:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (ESV)
Using this passage, Roberts talked about how distracted we get. However, nothing can take the place of spending time with Jesus. We cannot serve in the name of Jesus without sitting at His feet first.
Roberts also spoke to the comparison that Martha makes between herself and Mary. Comparison is something that kills our contentment. We should celebrate the success of others instead of tearing ourselves down. We cannot run our race in somebody else’s lane.
The part about comparison, especially the statement about running our own race, is what stood out to me the most in Roberts’ talk. It’s something I struggle with personally more than I would like to admit.
I see those around me, how they look, their talents, their relationship status, and sometimes I feel very inferior or behind in my life compared to them. I think it happens the most concerning significant others.
I’m 22 years old, and I’ve only had one boyfriend. I thought he was the man I was going to marry, but it wasn’t meant to be. Looking back, I don’t know that it was ever going to work out. I think I just wanted it to so bad because I didn’t want to be alone forever, and he was the first guy to ever show any interest in me, so I rushed it and jumped in head over heels.
Now that we’re not together anymore, the old fears have crept back in. I see my friends with their boyfriends, and I get this pit in my stomach, wondering if I’ll ever have that again. This makes me feel guilty because, in my mind, it demonstrates my struggle with giving the situation over to God.
I love to be in control, and I hate the unknown of what’s coming next. When Roberts was doing the Q & A after her message, one of the things she talked about in an answer to a question about prayer was praying prayers of surrender instead of prayers of control.
That’s something that I want to get better at in the new year and beyond. I want to surrender control of my life to the Lord, knowing that His plan for me is greater than the one I have for myself. I want to get to the place where I am content with the fact that if God has a man out there for me, He will bring him to me in His timing, and if there isn’t one, then the worst thing that happens is I become an old maid living with my dad and sisters. And I mean honestly that wouldn’t be all bad.
You might not be struggling with your relationship status, but this idea of surrender can apply to so many other areas of life, including sports, school, and jobs, just to name a few. You might not be performing as well as someone else that plays your position, and it kills you because all your life you have dreamed of being the best. However, maybe it isn’t your time yet to be the best. Maybe the Lord wants you to work on being a better teammate and to uplift the one ahead of you because you never know what they might be going through off the field.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (ESV).
We won’t always understand what God is doing in our lives. In the moment, it might seem unfair or difficult. However, we need to remember that He is working for our good. This is definitely easier said than done, but we will be much more content when we trust in Him, cheering on those around us and surrendering the plans we have for ourselves.
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