A Light Bulb Moment!

Have you ever had one of those “light bulb” moments – an “A ha!” moment? As a classroom teacher, I lived for those moments – when, all of a sudden, some idea or concept that I was trying to get across to my students was suddenly understood by at least one of them. I remember one of those days when teaching grammar, and I could tell by the blank stares on their faces that they were not “getting” direct objects. The ship was sinking fast! It seemed so simple to me – why couldn’t they understand? A direct object is a noun or pronoun following the action verb that receives the action – how many times was I going to have to say that?

Then it suddenly occurred to me to approach it a different way. So I used the simple sentence of “John hit the ball,” and asked “What did John hit?” Almost in unison, the students (at least those who had not completely abandoned our sinking ship) replied, “the ball.” I shouted, “That’s the direct object!!!” Smiles swept over their faces as they finally “got” it. From then on, they could usually find the direct object with little trouble. Those smiles were like light bulbs lighting up that classroom. They felt the excitement of figuring something out, and I felt the excitement of a teachable moment – for them and for me.

Well, I had one of those experiences as I was reading the story of Rebekah found in Genesis 24-28, it happened, the light bulb came on. Rebekah was a “fixer” – just like me! But here’s the real “A ha,” – being a fixer is being a worrier! I had already realized that being a fixer is not necessarily a good thing; it is basically seizing control from God. But what hit me so hard is the fact that the attitude and act of trying to fix something is a cover-up for worrying. If I am not worrying about that situation, I am not trying to fix it. Get it?

So, am I to sit back and let the world go on around me without doing anything? No, not for a minute. God calls us to be initiators but not fixers. What’s the difference? An initiator is one who gets the ball rolling; she sees a need or problem and takes action. Okay, I hear your minds working. If she takes action, isn’t she trying to “fix” the situation? If you are a “fixer,” you are taking matters into your own hands – helping God out, so to speak.

That’s what Rebekah did. God had already told her that His plan would be fulfilled through Jacob, but when that didn’t seem to be working out (at least, in her time table), she took it upon herself to see that it was done. That insatiable desire to be in control and fix things led her to deception and eventually robbed her of the very joy she was working to protect – Jacob. She died not seeing Jacob for many years. Her intentions were good, but she acted on her own. The consequences of her actions have rippled through history into the very present by way of the conflicts between the peoples of the Middle East.

We need to strive to be an initiator – one who sees a need and takes action. However, the action of an initiator is tempered by the Lord Himself. He calls us to be initiators, to take action, but the action He calls us to take is to cast our worries and anxieties on Him, and let Him be the fixer!

• ...casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you...1 Peter 5:7

Wow! Is that freeing or what? I don’t have to fix things! He will – if I give it to Him and let Him be free to work. I just have to approach the situation in a spirit of prayer and thanksgiving and stand back and watch God handle it!

So, what have I learned? I want to be an initiator and not a “fixer.” When confronted with a difficult situation, I want to approach the Father with it and then take whatever action He calls me to take. He may call me to watch and wait as I pray, or He may call me to put feet to my prayers. I just need to be sure He’s in control of what I do.