Who is in Charge?

It makes a vast difference who has responsibility. Who cares for you? Have you made it your duty to take care of yourself? Maybe you do not trust anyone else for your care. This is logical. No one seems to care more about others than they do about self. No one else appears to have more concern for the welfare of others than they do for their own. We want control of our own lives. But guess what? Always being in charge of things easily becomes a burden.

Being in charge often ends with being frustrated. We think we are good at being in charge. We certainly do not want anyone else to have custody of our care, or life, or schedule, or possessions…we believe these things are best given for our personal safekeeping. Who else can care for us better? Our default setting is, “I’ll do it my-self.” But intuitively, we know the self-care method with ME in charge has many pitfalls. A few of them will be sufficient to remind us we don’t take care of ourselves as well as be believe. We forget. We misjudge-with people and situations. We choose incorrectly. We fanatisize about things which can never happen. Another way to say that is, we fail to see reality; or…we don’t want to.

Our first conclusion: Being in charge of myself creates many problems.

This conclusion leads us to one of life’s big questions: If it is unwise for me to take control of my life is there really anyone else, I can actually trust? The answer will surprise you. There is. We can put control of our lives in the eternal, perfect, and loving hands of God.

I hear you…you are saying stop, stop! How can I trust in someone I cannot see? You want me to place my life in the control of someone who never speaks, someone who seems to not be present, I’m not certain God has power enough to care for me.

Momentous Endorsement: God is all powerful, everywhere present, and knows all things.

We can trust God. We cannot see Him. He does not speak-audibly (most of the time). He absolutely has the power and the knowledge to care for you, me and the world-at once.

Yes, you want proof.

Our sometime in the future-if not now-conclusion: This is my Father’s World.

God is in control of all things anyway, why not let Him have control of your life, your days, your future?

Think about it. If God really exists-who has more power, knowledge and can be everywhere at once? Not me…and not you. Why not God. He is far superior. Besides all of this, He balances His sovereignty with everlasting love for you and me. This is reality, God’s control never fails, never forgets, never judges, never makes a wrong choice, God orders all reality; with love for both of us. This is God’s world…look…

These three photos show Two Spotted Bumble bees on the native flower, Anise Hyssop.

The Two Spotted Bumble bee…it’s a common bumble bee found in the Midwestern and southern states. Many of them are found in our small backyard prairie garden where these photos were taken. This is God’s world. Only God could organize and form a bumble bee. Bumble bees are super pollinators. Native bees, including Bumble bees buzz pollinate. Another term for this is “sonication.” During buzz pollination bees rapidly contract their indirect flight muscles, this produces strong vibrations which pulsates pollen out of the plant. Honey bees focus is nectar, bumble bees gather pollen. They are significant pollinators. It is estimated that at peak, buzz pollination generates of force of 30 G, near the force humans can tolerate on a rocket sled!

Can you create such a creature? Can you add the sonication feature? This is God’s world.

These Long Horned bees were very fast. It was difficult to “catch” them still long enough for a photo. Their emerald eyes are beautiful.

The Long-horned bee….long antenna cause this small native bee to stand out. There are over 200 species of long-horned bees, smaller relatives of bumble bees. Long-horned bees fit in special niches of the natural world. Their role is the pollination of specific plants. One specie of Long-horned bee, the Squash bee collects pollen only from-you guessed it-squash, pumpkins, and gourds.

Can either of us assign a native bee to specific plant pollination? This is God’s world.

This caterpillar is nearly large enough to go into its chrysalis. When it becomes an adult Monarch it will join thousands of others on a migratory journey to Mexico.

The Monarch Butterfly…we’ll get directly to the point here. Are either of us able to travel to a specific location over a thousand miles distant, without GPS, or a map? Oh, you can travel with others-but they have never been to this location either. Could either of us change our bodies from terrestrial to airborne? Can either of us fly, if not now later in life? Ok…enough…This is God’s World.

What an eye pleasing pattern of stripes…this is God’s world!

Just so we both are reminded…the insects we considered were found on two different species of native plant: Bees-on Anise Hyssop (smells like black licorice). Monarch caterpillars were on Butterfly Weed, a specie of milk weed with white poisonous sap. (I cannot eat poison and live either.)

This is God’s World. He is in control. Because He is in control, we can stop striving to keep our lives in order. What does this mean? It means God knows. God has the power. God is present-everywhere. It means we can relax. While the world seems out of control, it is not. This is God’s world. We can live each day in peace, go to sleep at night in peace-even when there is strive and violence. Repeat, this is God’s world. Look at the evidence around you-flowers, insects and an infinite universe shout:

This is God’s World!

We are not the only ones to consider the fact that, “This is my Father’s World.” A Presbyterian minister who lived from 1858 to 1901, Maltie D. Babcock wrote a hymn with the title, “This is My Father’s World.” He got the idea from walks along Lake Ontario near Niagara Falls. He would tell his wife, “I am going for a walk in “My Father’s World.”

Look at God’s world. Now ask who in charge of my life? It is no burden for God to take control of our lives. Just ask, He will.