I AM NOT GOD

PRACTICE: Make a mental note of a relationship that drains you and why.

Lately, I have been reflecting on my role and responsibility toward others and their problems/insecurities. Not wanting to listen only to my inner dialogue, I posed this question to my husband and a close friend, “What’s my responsibility for someone else’s problems and insecurities?” The resulting conversation was robust and then, out of the blue, I was introduced to a beautiful song entitled “I’m Not God.” The lyrics spoke directly to my question.

The song is a lament of seeing deep brokenness in a loved one. Somewhere along the way, the song writer realized that he could listen, could understand and desire with all his heart to save and heal his loved one but it would never be enough and exclaimed, “That’s not my job. I’m not God.”

The journey of living healthy, whole and holy lives will bring repeated encounters with loved ones where a crossroad is reached in the relationship. One begins to question their role and responsibility to the other’s challenges and problems. To not question and come to some resolution, leads to the derailment of self and having the energy of life zapped completely out of you. You can listen, you can empathize, but you are not God and you can’t fix them. It is not your job.

I suffered (noticed the past tense) with an inner believe and expressed outwardly that a part of my body was massive. My husband, for most of the years that he has known me, listened to me talk about it, understood my concern and told me repeatedly that my thinking was faulty. Then one day, he simply stopped responding when I bought it up…I think he realized that he couldn’t fix me, it wasn’t his job and he was not God. He had planted a seed of doubt in my mind and slowly, very slowly I allowed the negative thought to die.

So, I have settled into a truth for me around others and their inner struggles and insecurities. I am responsible to them, but I am not responsible for them. I can listen to them and I will! I can sit with them for a while in their stuff. I will be understanding and supportive. I will provide space and time for God to do God’s work. But I can’t fix them, that’s not my job!

I have experienced a new level of freedom in some of my relationships! God does His job. I do my job. I am okay with that!

Exodus 17:12

PONDER THIS THOUGHT - As much as I would like, I can’t fix anybody.