Have you ever gotten the bright idea that you can do something on your own?
That’s where I found myself last week.
I’m in the process of redoing my driveway, and at first, was going to do the whole area in the same material. But somehow, my heart longed for a specific type of walkway.
The workers had promised they would be back within a specific time frame, and when the time had passed, I started dreaming more of this walkway. Sometimes a delay works out really well.
I went so far as to measure my neighbors’ driveway, getting ideas of the width I’d need, and what I would need to do.
I consulted with another neighbor, and he suggested it was a good idea to do it.
Yes! I can do this!
Doing this myself would involve purchasing pavers, all the supplies and whatever else I needed.
I decided I should call my dad to recruit him to ‘help’ me. I had already attended YouTube University on the subject, and while it looked a bit hard, I could definitely do this.
Fast forward to the day of the project. We go to the home store to look at the materials. One paver weighed 19 pounds, and I would need many of them.
If you’ve ever done masonry work, you know that cement comes in 90 pound bags and then add gravel and sand, and each of those bags, weigh 60-70 pounds.
As we brought all the materials home, and my dad got to work, measuring and detailing and working and reworking what needed to be done so that it would be neat, I quickly realized that, I very likely would not have been able to do it. Or if I had attempted it, it would not have come out properly.
As I laughed at my ‘I can do this’ attitude, I realize that it sometimes gets me in trouble with God. There are many things I try to attempt on my own, without ever consulting my Heavenly Father as to whether I should do it. And, I can tell you, it usually doesn’t end well when I don’t consult with Him.
I even woke up this morning to a very sweet surprise. My dad had left some boards holding the walkway in place and instructed that I could remove them after a few days. I woke up to pictures from him, of my driveway. I was wondering why he was sending me pictures of my own driveway until I realized that he had stopped by earlier, and removed them himself.
The thing, just the day before I was looking at and strategizing how I was going to do it, was already done.
Friends, I love the verse that says ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’, but first, I would encourage you to ask Him, if He’s asking you to do the thing alone. Sometimes, alone is not the directive. It’s through Him that ‘I can do this’.
Dear Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for the example that you have given through loving earthly fathers who represent you and your love. Would you provide for those in need to experience this earthly love. Would you also remind us that we are not called to a life of ‘I can do this’, thinking we need to do it alone.