WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:02.459 Parenting hasn't actually been the topic of our 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:05.320 Sunday school class lately. However, we've been 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:07.559 studying the church as a whole. But without fail, 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:10.679 every single week, we end up sliding into a massive 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:13.220 side conversation about the micro -community 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:15.919 inside of our homes. Because the second you start 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.980 talking about the health of the church, the reality 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:21.420 of the family unit immediately crashes the party. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:25.300 And look. We talk about the practical, survival 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:28.320 -level logistics, like managing frantic calendars, 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:30.579 enforcing bedtime routines, negotiating snacks, 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:34.200 or tracking down missing shoes. Though, honestly, 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:36.600 there's an ongoing theological mystery as to 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.960 how a child can successfully locate one microscopic 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:43.219 piece of candy hidden in the deep recesses of 00:00:43.219 --> 00:00:46.020 your home somewhere, and yet cannot locate their 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:48.820 own shoes when they're sitting directly in front 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:51.869 of their face on an open floor. Now, that's a 00:00:51.869 --> 00:00:54.350 question for another day, though. But when the 00:00:54.350 --> 00:00:57.490 class slides into the side conversation and it 00:00:57.490 --> 00:01:00.829 starts rolling, we always find our way to the 00:01:00.829 --> 00:01:04.329 deeper, heavier side of the parenting gig, discipleship 00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:07.709 and spiritual formation. What it actually looks 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:10.870 like to lead the microchurch in your living room 00:01:10.870 --> 00:01:13.930 in the fear and instruction of the Lord. And 00:01:13.930 --> 00:01:16.510 man, that conversation gets incredibly heavy, 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:19.670 incredibly fast. Because if you love your kids, 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:23.239 You don't just want them to behave. You don't 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:25.640 just want them to pull straight A's, display 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:28.260 decent table manners, make smart choices, and 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:30.659 eventually become functioning adults who can 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:33.799 schedule a dentist appointment. You want them 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.840 to truly know Christ. You want their hearts to 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.480 be soft towards the Lord, to love Scripture, 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:43.780 to walk in wisdom, and to repent when they sin. 00:01:44.590 --> 00:01:47.109 You want them to build their lives on something 00:01:47.109 --> 00:01:50.090 rock solid instead of whatever cultural garbage 00:01:50.090 --> 00:01:54.569 the world is selling them this week. Those are 00:01:54.569 --> 00:01:57.170 holy, beautiful desires. And scripture gives 00:01:57.170 --> 00:01:59.310 us a massive, non -negotiable responsibility 00:01:59.310 --> 00:02:02.870 to chase them. We are called to teach, pray, 00:02:03.069 --> 00:02:06.310 discipline, love, model repentance, and point 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:10.270 towards Jesus over and over again. That isn't 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:14.349 optional. It's basic obedience. But here's where 00:02:14.349 --> 00:02:17.189 the tension gets incredibly uncomfortable. We 00:02:17.189 --> 00:02:20.229 cannot save them. We know that theologically. 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:24.889 If we were talking about this or taking a multiple 00:02:24.889 --> 00:02:28.990 choice exam on the church, we'd all circle the 00:02:28.990 --> 00:02:31.509 right answer. Salvation belongs entirely to the 00:02:31.509 --> 00:02:34.689 Lord. Our kids aren't saved by our flawless consistency, 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:37.590 our parenting philosophies, our schooling choices, 00:02:37.830 --> 00:02:39.930 or our pristine family devotional schedules. 00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:44.949 They are saved. by grace through faith in Christ, 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:49.789 period. But functionally, in the frantic daily 00:02:49.789 --> 00:02:54.030 grind, we completely forget it. We start treating 00:02:54.030 --> 00:02:56.689 faithful parenting like a retail transaction 00:02:56.689 --> 00:02:59.750 that should come with a lifetime warranty. We 00:02:59.750 --> 00:03:02.389 think, if I just say the exact right things, 00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:06.349 if I curate the perfect peer groups and block 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.490 the wrong influences, if I pick the ultimate 00:03:09.490 --> 00:03:12.280 devotional app, and handle every discipline moment 00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:16.599 flawlessly, then I can personally guarantee how 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.840 their story ends. And just like that, holy obedience 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:24.620 mutates into suffocating pressure. Discipleship 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:27.379 turns into strict corporate management, love 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:31.580 turns into baseline anxiety, and we ask our faithfulness 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:35.539 to carry a sovereign weight. It was never engineered 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:38.620 to support. God calls us to be faithful stewards. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:43.639 of our children, but he never gave us a remote 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.900 control for their hearts. That boundary line 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:51.139 matters, and it stretches far beyond parenting. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.759 Most of us have an area of our life where we 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.620 are doing exactly what God asked us to do, but 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.560 underneath the surface, we are still desperately 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:06.060 trying to own the ending. We are obeying, but 00:04:06.060 --> 00:04:09.280 we're white -knuckling. We're praying, But we're 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.620 micromanaging. We're showing up but quietly assuming 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:16.079 that if we perform well enough, God owes us the 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:19.339 perfect result. So let me ask the hard question 00:04:19.339 --> 00:04:23.540 as we open. Can you obey God faithfully without 00:04:23.540 --> 00:04:26.800 trying to sit in his seat? Can you love deeply 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:30.319 without pretending you're sovereign? Can you 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:34.060 keep showing up with completely open hands even 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:37.620 when you don't get to decide how the script resolves? 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:40.680 Because letting go of the outcome is not the 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:44.199 same thing as throwing in the towel. It's leaning 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:48.500 into trusting God and what only God can carry. 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:51.839 Welcome to Grace in the Grind, brought to you 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:53.500 by Arrow & Roots Coffee Company, where faith 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:57.300 meets the everyday. Here, we take time to notice 00:04:57.300 --> 00:04:59.259 God's presence right in the middle of life's 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:02.259 busiest moments, to find real encouragement, 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:06.720 clarity, and a reminder of His grace. right in 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.759 the daily grind of life. So grab your coffee, 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:14.300 and let's take a sip of this cup together. Now 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:16.459 before we go any further, I've got some really 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:19.459 sad news for you today. I'm still in a hotel 00:05:19.459 --> 00:05:26.860 in the Fort Worth area, and I'm out of good coffee. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:32.540 So today, in my cup, because of the busiest moments 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:37.680 and all of the struggles, Hilton's Coffee. It's 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:42.860 okay. It's not what I want. But sometimes, it's 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:46.459 okay to just drink what we have, right? Today 00:05:46.459 --> 00:05:48.500 we're talking about drawing a hard line between 00:05:48.500 --> 00:05:51.759 our assignment and God's sovereignty. And let's 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:54.019 establish this clearly right up front. Letting 00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:55.899 go of the outcome is not the same thing as giving 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:59.139 up. It's not passivity. It's not spiritual laziness. 00:05:59.180 --> 00:06:01.879 And it's not shrugging your shoulders at messy 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:05.439 situations or saying, Well, God is sovereign, 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:07.939 so I guess it doesn't matter what I do. That's 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:12.040 not biblical faith. That is just disobedience 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:14.779 wearing church clothes. Scripture commands us 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:17.720 to act, to plan wisely, work hard, teach our 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.079 kids, love spouses, disciple people, pursue holiness, 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:24.420 and show up faithfully exactly where God has 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:27.540 placed us. But scripture never, under any circumstance, 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:30.959 hands us the ownership of the ending. That is 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.699 a massive tension. And it's a tension we rarely 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:36.759 feel until it touches something we love. It's 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:39.540 easy to say God is in control when life feels 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:45.360 like a theoretical theological outline. It's 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.839 a whole lot harder when you're on your knees 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:52.240 praying for a wandering child. You are desperately 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:55.420 trying to repair broken trust in a marriage. 00:06:56.500 --> 00:06:59.639 You're discipling someone who keeps making self 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:03.160 -destructive choices that terrify you. You have 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.300 poured blood, sweat, and tears into a ministry 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:09.920 or career path, and the visible fruit looks nothing 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.879 like what you had envisioned. That is the exact 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.300 moment when we discover whether we are actually 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:19.620 trusting God or if we are just trusting our own 00:07:19.620 --> 00:07:23.480 ability to manipulate the process. So in Cup 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:26.459 8, we were talking about staying fruitful when 00:07:26.459 --> 00:07:29.860 nothing seems to be changing. In Cup 9, we were 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:32.480 talking about responding when God reveals, that 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:37.199 a hidden leak has gotten out of control. Now, 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:41.779 cup 10 is the crucial next step. What do you 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:44.560 do when you are doing everything right and you 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:48.139 still don't get to control how the story resolves? 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:53.279 The core idea is simple, but living it will cost 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:56.240 you something. Faithfulness is your assignment. 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:02.209 The outcome is God's sovereignty. I have seen 00:08:02.209 --> 00:08:05.509 this dynamic play out vividly in my own life 00:08:05.509 --> 00:08:07.870 through discipleship. Over the years, I've had 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:10.550 the opportunity to walk with some guys in all 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:13.370 kinds of discipleship relationships, some formal, 00:08:13.449 --> 00:08:16.350 some casual, some long -term, and some for just 00:08:16.350 --> 00:08:19.490 a brief season. I'm incredibly thankful for those 00:08:19.490 --> 00:08:24.769 spaces. God used them to grow me, and he used 00:08:24.769 --> 00:08:29.370 them to absolutely expose me. If I'm being completely 00:08:29.370 --> 00:08:33.009 transparent, There were times when my genuine 00:08:33.009 --> 00:08:35.850 desire for someone's spiritual well -being came 00:08:35.850 --> 00:08:38.169 completely tangled up with my unhealthy need 00:08:38.169 --> 00:08:41.850 to control how their story unfolded. My motives 00:08:41.850 --> 00:08:44.549 weren't malicious. I wanted to follow Jesus. 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:47.889 I wanted them to walk in wisdom, love the word, 00:08:47.950 --> 00:08:51.750 and avoid the exact sinful landmines that leave 00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:55.470 deep, permanent scars. Those are good desires. 00:08:55.950 --> 00:08:59.840 But good desires became incredibly toxic. when 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:03.620 you start carrying them like you're the one responsible 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:06.820 for the harvest. Looking back, I can see where 00:09:06.820 --> 00:09:09.539 I added structure, then more structure, then 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:12.220 strict expectations around the structure, and 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:14.299 then intense pressure when the systems didn't 00:09:14.299 --> 00:09:17.100 seem to be churning out the spiritual maturity 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:20.980 I wanted on my timeline. It's a painful thing 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:23.960 to admit because at the time, I thought I was 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:26.980 just being a passionate leader. But if I strip 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:30.549 away the holy vocabulary, Sometimes what I call 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:34.690 care was actually just control. Sometimes what 00:09:34.690 --> 00:09:39.669 I called wisdom was just anxiety. Sometimes my 00:09:39.669 --> 00:09:43.830 kingdom urgency was just impatience dressed up 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:47.370 in spiritual language. And when people didn't 00:09:47.370 --> 00:09:50.090 respond the way I thought they should, I felt 00:09:50.090 --> 00:09:54.129 it in my gut. I got tense, frustrated, and heavy. 00:09:54.549 --> 00:09:56.330 because I was trying to carry the weight of an 00:09:56.330 --> 00:10:00.330 ending God had never assigned to me. I've had 00:10:00.330 --> 00:10:02.210 to do some serious repenting over the years, 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:06.570 not just for my outward words, but for how tightly 00:10:06.570 --> 00:10:10.429 my fists were clenched. I was acting like faithfulness 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:13.629 meant I had to force the story to turn out right. 00:10:14.070 --> 00:10:16.429 In some of those relationships, grace went out. 00:10:16.549 --> 00:10:19.149 We had hard conversations, I apologized, and 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:21.870 things were beautifully repaired. In others, 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:24.940 the outcome was not what I wanted. And I had 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:28.480 to learn a lesson that sounds clean in a sermon 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:32.200 but feels brutal in real life. I can obey God 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:35.879 in offering a sincere apology without controlling 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:40.120 whether the person receives it. I can speak the 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.779 raw truth without controlling whether someone 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:45.919 believes it. I can love someone fiercely without 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.159 having the power to control whether they change. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:53.919 Obedience without trust eventually degenerates 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:56.620 into control with a Bible verse taped to it. 00:10:57.159 --> 00:11:01.720 And God was patient enough to teach me that the 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:06.419 hard way. Proverbs 16 .9 lays out the divine 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:14.639 boundary line perfectly. This verse is a crucial 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:17.179 reminder because it does not rebuke you for planning. 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:20.960 The original Hebrew word for plans actually implies 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:25.039 deep, intentionality, careful calculation, and 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:27.960 thorough preparation. It assumes you are using 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.340 your brain. It values wisdom, effort, and responsibility. 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:34.940 Planning your route is not a sin. It's normal 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:38.200 stewardship. The structural break happens in 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:40.679 the second half of the sentence. But the Lord 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:44.220 establishes his steps. The word establishes means 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:47.139 to make firm, to secure, to cause something to 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:52.149 stand solid. In short, we plan. but God directs. 00:11:52.149 --> 00:11:56.090 We prepare, but God determines. Scripture isn't 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:58.570 trying to crush your work ethic. It's just clarifying 00:11:58.570 --> 00:12:01.950 who holds the ultimate authority. And let's be 00:12:01.950 --> 00:12:04.350 honest, most of us are totally fine with the 00:12:04.350 --> 00:12:07.129 first half of that verse. We will happily plan, 00:12:07.269 --> 00:12:10.610 work, teach, disciple, budget, and have the tough 00:12:10.610 --> 00:12:14.389 conversations. But we secretly want the second 00:12:14.389 --> 00:12:18.210 half too. We want to plan our way and establish 00:12:18.210 --> 00:12:21.860 our steps. We want to do the obedience part, 00:12:22.059 --> 00:12:26.679 and dictate exactly where the road leads. But 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:30.080 Proverbs won't let us carry that illusion. It 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.620 looks us in the eye and says, you are fully responsible 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:37.480 to walk wisely, but you are not sovereign over 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:41.240 the interstate of the heart. Luke chapter 22 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:44.519 takes this out of the realm of abstract philosophy 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:47.919 and drops it directly into the dirt. Jesus is 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:51.299 in the garden. He knows the exact nature of the 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:54.259 horror coming his way, the betrayal, the mockery, 00:12:54.299 --> 00:12:57.159 the physical trauma, and the weight of the cross. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:01.720 And he prays, Father, if you're willing, remove 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:05.980 this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, 00:13:06.059 --> 00:13:10.000 but yours be done. We need to be incredibly careful 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:13.720 not to flatten this moment. Jesus does not pretend 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:17.600 the cup is no big deal. He doesn't act like surrender 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:20.759 requires total emotional numbness or pretending 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.639 the outcome doesn't matter. He names his raw 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.899 human desire with total honesty. Father, if you 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:32.799 are willing, take this cup away. That really 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:37.220 matters to us. Biblical surrender is not stoic 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:41.639 apathy. It is bringing your bleeding heart and 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:46.139 your honest desires directly to the Father. But 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:54.059 then comes the pivot. That is open -handed obedience. 00:13:54.620 --> 00:13:58.159 Jesus doesn't stop walking forward. He doesn't 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:02.379 check out or quit. He completely entrusts the 00:14:02.379 --> 00:14:05.419 outcome to the Father. We often want surrender 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:09.019 to act like an anesthesia that numbs the pain 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:12.259 of uncertainty. But Jesus shows us that surrender 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:16.200 can be deeply costly and still Be perfectly faithful. 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.519 You can care to the point of tears and still 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.460 release control. You can walk forward in obedience 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:26.779 without demanding the ending you would have written. 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:31.240 If the sinless Son of God prayed with honest 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:34.559 desire and a surrendered will, we shouldn't be 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:37.379 shocked when our faith is tested at the exact 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:42.299 same intersection. Father, I want this specific 00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:45.799 outcome with everything inside me. But I trust 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:49.720 you more than I trust my preferred ending. James 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:51.879 chapter 4 presses into this from an economic 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:54.799 angle. He talks about business owners who say, 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:57.879 today or tomorrow we will go to such and such 00:14:57.879 --> 00:15:01.039 city, spend a year there, do business, and make 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:04.720 a massive profit. Now James isn't anti -work, 00:15:04.860 --> 00:15:08.100 anti -business, or anti -strategy. The issue 00:15:08.100 --> 00:15:10.860 wasn't their business plan. The issue was their 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:14.309 absolute presumption. They spoke as if tomorrow 00:15:14.309 --> 00:15:18.769 was a commodity they currently owned. James drops 00:15:18.769 --> 00:15:21.850 a line that will instantly humble you if you 00:15:21.850 --> 00:15:25.789 let it sit on your chest. You do not know what 00:15:25.789 --> 00:15:29.029 tomorrow will bring. We build our five -year 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:32.649 plans like life is a guaranteed contract. We 00:15:32.649 --> 00:15:36.409 assume time. We assume health. We assume economic 00:15:36.409 --> 00:15:39.269 stability. And we assume people will always react 00:15:39.269 --> 00:15:42.860 exactly the way we predict. James reminds us 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:48.580 that our life is a dependent vapor. The truth 00:15:48.580 --> 00:15:51.500 isn't supposed to paralyze you from buying a 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:53.700 house or launching a business. It's designed 00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:56.539 to anchor you in humility. It teaches us to say, 00:15:56.659 --> 00:15:59.960 if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:03.740 that. Not as a cheap religious catchphrase we 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:07.059 slap on the end of every email, but as a deep, 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:11.419 internal posture that recognizes I will work, 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:15.600 I will plan, and I will obey. But I'm utterly 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:18.879 dependent on God for my next breath, my next 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.500 step, and my every single outcome. That is planning 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:26.919 without presumption. And it's incredible how 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:30.100 freeing, because if tomorrow belongs entirely 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:33.600 to God, you can finally stop pretending it belongs 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:39.139 to you. Here's where grace has to untangle our... 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:42.100 faulty thinking. Because the second we start 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:44.899 thinking about releasing outcomes, our internal 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:48.039 defense mechanism kicks in and whispers, oh, 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:52.539 so I'm just supposed to stop caring? No. That 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:56.360 is a cheap counterfeit of surrender. God is not 00:16:56.360 --> 00:16:58.799 asking you to care less about your kids, your 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:01.320 marriage, your ministry, or your integrity. He 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:03.940 isn't asking you to care less. He's inviting 00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:06.539 you to trust more. There is a world of difference 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:09.140 between those two postures. Letting go of the 00:17:09.140 --> 00:17:11.240 outcome doesn't mean you stop praying fiercely 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.079 for your child. It means you pray without pretending 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.619 your prayers receive the leverage to control 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:20.000 them. It doesn't mean you stop discipling people. 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:23.119 It means you invest in them without trying to 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.779 play the role of the Holy Spirit in their transformation. 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.440 It doesn't mean you avoid hard conversations. 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:33.119 It means you speak the truth with deep humility 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:36.700 instead of hidden demand that they react exactly 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:40.690 how you want them to. Trying to manage outcomes 00:17:40.690 --> 00:17:45.150 is absolutely exhausting. It keeps you trapped 00:17:45.150 --> 00:17:47.970 in a loop of constant measurement and mental 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:51.210 replace. Did I say it perfectly? Did I pray long 00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:54.369 enough? Did I make a wrong turn? Did I single 00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:58.549 -handedly ruin the story? The Father is not standing 00:17:58.549 --> 00:18:01.049 over you telling you to carry that weight harder. 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:04.269 He's looking at your bleeding, blistered hands 00:18:04.269 --> 00:18:08.019 and saying, Trust me. with what you were never 00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:11.339 engineered to carry. That doesn't mean every 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:14.640 chapter ends the way you had hoped. But true 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:18.519 biblical trust was never a promise that we would 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:22.859 always understand the script. It is an absolute 00:18:22.859 --> 00:18:26.579 confidence that the author holding the pen is 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:30.319 completely good. So here's your practical move 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:33.500 for this week. Name one specific area where you 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:36.200 are currently obeying God. but still trying to 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:39.339 white -knuckle the outcome. I don't mean an area 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:41.099 where you're being lazy or avoiding responsibility. 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:44.279 I mean the place where you are already showing 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:47.400 up, doing the work, praying, and loving, but 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:51.259 your fists are tightly clenched. Once you have 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:54.200 that specific area in mind, run it through these 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.640 three diagnostic questions. What specific obedience 00:18:57.640 --> 00:19:01.759 has God actually assigned to me here? What sovereign 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:06.529 outcome am I trying to illegally carry? What 00:19:06.529 --> 00:19:08.930 does it look like to keep showing up, but with 00:19:08.930 --> 00:19:15.069 totally open hands? Name the assignment, name 00:19:15.069 --> 00:19:17.769 the outcome, and then pray this simple prayer 00:19:17.769 --> 00:19:22.130 slowly. Lord, I will keep showing up. I'll be 00:19:22.130 --> 00:19:24.750 faithful with what you've placed in my hands. 00:19:25.509 --> 00:19:27.950 But I officially release the outcome to you. 00:19:28.670 --> 00:19:32.549 That prayer is not a white flag of defeat. It's 00:19:32.549 --> 00:19:37.180 raw, mature trust. And sometimes open -handed 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:41.180 trust is the most faithful thing you have ever 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:46.619 done. Now, here's the other part. You may not 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:49.799 just need to pray that once. In fact, you'll 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:52.559 probably need to pray it over and over again. 00:19:53.940 --> 00:19:56.980 But before we close today's cup, let me pause 00:19:56.980 --> 00:20:00.220 for just a second and remind you, if you've enjoyed 00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:02.859 this episode or if you've enjoyed this season 00:20:02.859 --> 00:20:07.049 or the podcast, please rate and review, follow 00:20:07.049 --> 00:20:10.410 us, whatever it is, share it with a friend. That 00:20:10.410 --> 00:20:13.309 helps us spread this to other people who need 00:20:13.309 --> 00:20:15.549 to hear it. And if you want to support us, grab 00:20:15.549 --> 00:20:18.309 a bag of coffee from Aaron Roots. It's a really 00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:20.049 easy way to support us, and you get a great cup 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:22.309 of coffee. But thanks for listening to Grace 00:20:22.309 --> 00:20:23.849 on the Grind, where we keep our coffee strong 00:20:23.849 --> 00:20:26.829 and our faith stronger. Always remember, the 00:20:26.829 --> 00:20:29.750 obedience was your assignment. The outcome was 00:20:29.750 --> 00:20:32.470 never yours to carry. Even when you don't get 00:20:32.470 --> 00:20:34.880 to write the final chapter, God is still completely 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.420 faithful. We'll see you in the next cup.