While driving home from church yesterday, I heard a sermon on the radio that really made me think. The preacher stated that we bring a lot of grief upon ourselves when we worry. He said that when we worry, we are voluntarily assuming responsibility for a situation that is outside of our control. And this is sin.
We have been given the freedom to be free from worry. God wants us to stop carrying around unnecessary burdens. We can do everything "right" and yet situations can go extremely wrong. For example, we can be the best employee at our job. But when the economy tanks, we can still be the first fired for reasons completely unrelated to our job performance. Or as parents, we can do everything in our power to raise our children properly and to discipline them in love. But when they grow up, for better or worse, they will make their own decisions despite what they've been taught.
I'm seeing a lot of my friends stressing out right now. They just took the bar exam and have started looking at the job market. It stinks. The good jobs that are open are requiring applicants to have 4-9 years experience. A year ago these same jobs only wanted 2-3 years experience. Career service offices at law schools don't even have any leads these days. It's really depressing. But worrying about the job market is not something that we should be doing. The market is outside of our control. All we can do is live our lives, be diligent to do our best at what we do, and trust that God will work out His plan in our lives.
I know it sounds like I'm taking the job issue lightly, but I'm not. I absolutely did everything wrong in law school. I intentionally skipped on-campus interviews, despite having good enough grades to get interviews. And I refused to waste my time on law review. I just wasn't interested! Instead, I went through school and did my best to be a good student, a wife, and a mom. My career adviser probably hated me because I wasn't ambitious enough, but I didn't really care. Even if I followed all of her rules, she couldn't guarantee me a job. Yet, I did get a job--a job that far exceeded my expectations. I have a boss who is nice to me and who is willing to let me be a mom to my kids while also being a productive employee. Only God could make that happen. I certainly didn't.
God is faithful. He brings along the right people in the right time--not our time, of course. He hasn't called us to carry around the weight of the world. He's called us to trust in Him. So stop taking responsibility for what you can't control. Do your best. Trust. Know that "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
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