Recently, my husband and I were preparing to sing at a memorial service for a friend’s mother. He needed to change his guitar strings, so I’d been “encouraging” him (okay, nagging him) to do it earlier in the week. Instead, he waited until two hours before the service—and broke two strings in the process.
Cue my panic: Will the music store be open? Will he have time to re-string his guitar? Will we let our friend down?
I’ve never been an “everything will work itself out” kind of girl. I’m more of a “let’s overthink, over-plan, and prepare for every possible disaster” kind of girl. And God, in His infinite wisdom, paired me with a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” husband who whistles when circumstances are clearly not whistle-worthy! (Like guitar strings breaking!)
As I spiraled, God reminded me of one of my favorite verses. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t panic! I’m with you! There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” (The Message)
I doubt God is really concerned about broken guitar strings. But He does care about me and my worried, messy mind. And I love that about Him.
Here’s what I’m learning: trying to control every circumstance to protect my peace isn’t peaceful at all! Sometimes, real peace is found on the other side of control—when the worst happens, our plans fall apart, and all we can do is surrender to the One who’s been holding us all along. Because transformation doesn’t happen just by knowing God’s promises. It happens by experiencing His faithfulness.
And maybe that’s why God keeps giving us opportunities to loosen our grip. Not to frustrate us, but to gently teach us that we don’t have to hold everything together. He’s already holding us.
