Do I Finagle?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Hey, if there is one thing I know I do quite well, it is finagling. However, after reading this devotion, I just may give it up for lent. (Just kidding!) Because manipulation is a form of witchcraft, I try not to go there. Jeanette Levellie (Mornings with Jesus) made some insightful discoveries that are worth sharing. We all do this. Just sayin’!
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“Do I finagle?” I asked my husband, Kevin, after I’d shared my brainstorm on how we could afford a second car.
Kevin spoke slower than usual. “Sometimes you do, Jeanette.” Was he using his best diplomatic skills gained from fifty years as a pastor or forty-nine as a husband? “You like to arrange situations so they turn out the way you want.” I laughed on the outside, but inside I cringed. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I am a champion manipulator and schemer.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve finagled circumstances and people, I’m ashamed to say, to get my way. A hint here. A look or a sigh there. Very subtle, usually. But not very Christlike.
Lately, Jesus has shown me that finagling was not His best for me. That it’s rooted in fear and worry. U-oh. Jesus wants me to acknowledge Him in all my ways and ask Him for what I need (Matthew 7:7), to trust that He will provide for me (Philippians 4:19), to not live by my own scheming but to rest in His plan for me—which, of course, always turns out for my best (Romans 8:28).
Weeks after my conversation with Kevin, some friends offered to sell us their extra car for next to nothing—not because of any finagling on my part but because of Jesus.
FAITH STEP: Write down the situations you are trying to manipulate. Then trust the outcomes to Jesus.
Gracious God, thank You for being patient with us when we try to take control. Teach us and show us that Your ways always turn out better for us. AMEN.