We Think We Know What We're Doing

It is human nature to try to work things out ourselves, without consulting God first.

Remember Abram and Sarai? God had promised them a child, but Sarai knew she was barren. She thought she would “help” God and come up with her own plan. She took her maidservant and gave her to her husband as a second wife (common practice in the ancient world). The second wife conceived and had a son, but this was not what God had intended. The second wife and son were trouble to the family from the start. (You can read the story starting in Genesis 16.)

Humans have been doing it since the beginning of time. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. God made skins from an animal instead, showing them that blood had to be shed to cover their sin.

I was raised to “fix” things naturally. We didn’t go to the doctor except for life and death issues. This was carried into my adulthood. If I came down with a cold or the flu, I would pop vitamin C, take Echinacea or goldenseal, etc. When I developed a rash on my hand (more detail here), my first thought was to solve it myself. I put lavender oil on it (known to be antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal), I put coconut oil on it, I would do a salt rub (because it would develop a thick skin layer), I also tried putting MSM on it (because I had read that sulfur was good for eczema). All I accomplished was further irritating it! Lesson learned--seek God’s wisdom and have patience that He will give you the answer. And take my advice, if you have dermatitis, DON’T do any of these things I did (except the coconut oil, it might sooth it)! I am now healed, because I chose not to resolve it in my own strength and knowledge. You can read that story here.

Do you have an area of your life that you think you can solve? Are you subconsciously leaving God out of the loop? He wants to be involved in every area of your life.

I leave you with this verse.

Proverbs 14:26 - There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.