A Life Defined

CHAPTER 3

This morning in our weekly staff meeting Karen shared an overview of chapter 3 in Hannah Whitall Smith's book "The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life." The conversation with Karen, Nick and myself (Oh! And Nick's 3 year old daughter, Ayla!) was such an uplifting part of the beginning of my week. I encourage you—if you received the book—to reach out to another from KBC to talk about what you are reading each week. Below is what Karen shared this morning to get our conversation going: 

In this chapter Whitall Smith declares the chief characteristics of a life “hid with Christ in God” are “an entire surrender to the Lord, and a perfect trust in Him, resulting in victory over sin and inward rest for the soul.” This surrender “causes us to let the Lord carry our burdens and manage our affairs for is instead of trying to do it ourselves.” She identifies these burdens as being temporal and spiritual in nature. 

Our greatest burden is ourselves—our feelings, temperaments, inner and outward experiences. Thus we must hand ourselves over to God and leave it all there.  We must surrender ourselves to him completely and trust that he can work in us and make us into who he would have us be for His purposes.

We are then called upon to lay all the other burdens at his feet as well—your health, your reputation, your family etc. Again we are called upon to surrender these to God and trust that he can manage ALL of them completely.

Whitall Smith stated that it is easier for us to commit our futures to the Lord rather than our present since we recognize we have little control over our futures. Unfortuantely, “most of us have an unconfessed idea that it is a great deal to ask the Lord to carry ourselves, and that we cannot think of asking Him to carry our burdens too.” However we can trust the “Divine Burden Bearer” with ALL our cares, anxieties and circumstances. He invites us in Philippians 4:6,7 to take every care to Him and abandon ourselves in Him and the end result will be His peace and His rest. Just as a child in its parent’s house live with the freedom, carefree trust, and unquestioning confidence their needs will be provided, so too should we live as if we are “a child in the Father’s house.” In so doing our lives (and souls) will be defined by perfect peace as we trust and lean into our Father’s care.

Karen then got us sharing by asking this question:

• Do you find it easier to trust the Lord with your future or your present? And why is that? 

• What are some of your current burdens?

Nick mentioned that the advice to "Let go (of our anxiety) and Let God (take care of what is troubling us)" is easy counsel to give but difficult to receive.

• Considering your current burdens, how might you phrase the advice you need so that you experience life as "a child" filled with carefree, unquestioning freedom in your Father's house?

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