#AriseReliant

By Kolleen Lucariello

As I write this, Pat and I are caring for our youngest grands in South Carolina while their parents celebrate their tenth anniversary aboard a cruise ship. Yes, they boarded in Tampa. Yes, they were on a cruise ship headed to Mexico and had to be diverted due to Hurricane Helene. Yes, their excursions in the Bahamas have been canceled. And yes, schools are now closing as the severe weather alerts update often. Chrissy's parting words to me when we left were, "Everyone will know the Lucariello's are in the south if a hurricane hits."

The first night without dad and mom was difficult for the youngest. He was up multiple times searching for his parents, certain monsters were hiding in his room. It was rough. When it was actually time to begin our day, I explained to him that we'd never survive the week if every night was like that one. I said, "When you are scared you can always ask Jesus to help you." He replied, "I did ask Jesus, Mimi, and Jesus told me he was afraid, too."

The next night we sprayed Monster Spray under the bed and in the closet. It seems monsters don't like the smell of peppermint. That was successful until the morning when he heard a loud noise in his closet and found a misguided monster who thought he'd find candy canes. We also played the VeggieTale's song, God is Bigger—which, became a hit! We've played it every night since. It's also led to some interesting conversations about the bigness of God. Trying to explain his vastness to a five and six year old is a bit challenging when I've struggled to fully understand it myself. Thankfully, I felt better equipped because of the topic of Activ8Her this month.

As we've sailed through this year we've attributed four anchors to Paul's experience in Acts 27. Anchor one is the Immutability of God's Word. Anchor two is the Anchor of God's Mercy. Anchor three is the Anchor of God's Presence. This month, we throw out anchor number four: the anchor of God's Sovereignty. This led Chrissy and I into a deep dive within the Word to discover more about God's nature and, specifically, this month, on his providential will.

Previously, we’ve discussed self-preservation and self-gratification and this month we take a look at self-reliance. Of course, God has given us responsibilities to care for and maintain what he's placed within our control, but when we become reliant on our own efforts and abilities we actually can become fanatics of control. When that happens, we also succumb to the false belief that embraces the idea that man-made rules and regulations are more reliable than those God has set into place.

On the flipside of that, when we understand God's sovereign nature we become

equipped—and empowered—to handle life's challenges due to our trust in the one who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent in nature. Big words that describe our big God.

Because he is omnipotent, His kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19). In his omniscient nature he wants us to recognize that He is God and he has no peers. There is none other like him. He "announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred" (Isaiah 46:9-10, NET). His omnipresence reminds us that he is always near. "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his eyes examine all people" (Psalm 11:4, NET).

Nothing escapes God. He is in absolute control—free from external control. In my humanity, I fight for control and that pushes me to ask him to explain himself when life becomes unstable and unpleasant. When I know God could have prevented what hurt me most and didn't—ouch. This is difficult to accept and often creates uncomfortable tension as I wrestle to understand. Then I heard a statement by Graham Cooke that challenged my perspective. As he spoke on the providence of God he said, "God is in control of all things, but he's only in charge of you." Excuse me? Could you repeat that please? He's only in charge of me—or anyone—until we give him full control through total surrender.

Yet, if we adhere to the notion that we can only achieve success or experience genuine joy when we are in full control, there is a high likelihood that our actions will create waves that generate a ripple effect that extends far beyond our ability to manage or stop. Engaging in activities that do not align with God's Word can lead to destructive waves because we have chosen self-reliance over trusting in God's sovereign nature. God will not usurp our decisions; if he did that would remove free will.

God knew what the experience would be like for Paul and the others on the ship when they set sail for Rome. He also knew what our kids would experience when they boarded the ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Could he have prevented each storm? Yes. But, both understood the risk involved due to the nature of the season. It was because of God's providential will that Paul perceived danger before they released the ropes. And fortunately, the ship with our kids perceived the threat of Hurricane Helene and changed course before they left port.

In the same way, when we accept God's sovereignty, or his providential will, we are open to God’s redirection, even when it means significant changes in life plans, relationships, or even our misguided beliefs and bad habits. There is a difference in being flexible and being tossed, however. Paul expressed to the Ephesians that they should no longer “be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). Feeling seasick? Get off the boat of self-reliance and #AriseReliant on the one who holds your world together.

Remember, God's not afraid of anyone or anything, regardless of what Grayson says. You can always rely on him.