The Saul Trap: Stop Trying to Improve on God's Plan

I’ve been in a prayerful quiet place since I came down with a terrible flu in the past 10 days.

I had to cut my 30-day video challenge short because I completely lost my voice. But it presented a unique opportunity for me to reframe the circumstances.

In a previous time I would’ve berated myself for not doing enough, or seeing the inherent challenges of an illness as evidence or proof that I’m not meant to do something.

I forced myself to frame this as part of doing 30 days of videos. Sometimes in life people get sick. And sometimes what you intend to do turns out differently than what you thought.

That’s not some grand gesture from God to shut me down. That’s life in a world where people sometimes get sick.

In those cases, the only choice you have is just to figure out your next move.

I’ve been in prayerful consideration of my own next move. I’ve done a lot of experimenting over the last year without any commitment other than doing something every day, usually writing.

This video challenge showed me enough to know — video may be the place to plant my stake in the ground for now.

I’m keenly aware that I’m not a “social media personality” with lots of charisma and witty takeaways for how to live life.

I’m a person who sinks her teeth into new knowledge, figures out how to apply it in a deep way, and then shares it with others who need or want it.

There are lots of other therapists putting great information out there. There are lots of other Christians putting great scriptures and thoughts out there to help you in your walk with God. I’m not trying to be either one of those.

So what I keep coming back to in prayer: I can’t make this about me. About me being some kind of influencer or personality that attracts or draws people. That’s not my shtick, and it never has been.

To try to be some kind of viral presence is a trap.

It puts the emphasis back on you and what you alone can bring to the table. And it feeds your desire to be validated.

I keep thinking about King Saul. He had every external advantage: commanding presence, the anointing of God, and a clear direction. But there was something in him that couldn’t fully trust God to handle what He said He would.

And Saul’s main driver was the approval of his subjects over his obedience to God.

“Then Saul admitted to Samuel, ‘Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions, and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people, and did what they demanded.'” —1 Samuel 15:2

Saul always took matters into his own hands after God had given him clear direction. Each time God asked Him to do something specific, he was so close to obedience.

But there was always a part of him that thought he had something else to add. Something that would somehow improve on God’s plan. Some workaround that would still bring about the same result.

And it cost him everything.

I don’t want to be Saul.

I have some things to bring to the table, but God gave me those things in the first place. So while my job is to pull my chair up to the table, I am trusting God to serve up the rest.

This is what I intend to do with my channel — share what I’ve learned. Not so you can deepen your identity in your problems and challenges. But so you can find the crevices and cracks where you can get just enough leverage to grow.

To learn enough about yourself and the God who made you to know you’re not alone in what you’re trying to accomplish with your life.

My heart is for people to see they are capable of so much, especially when they rely on God for the ultimate solution.

We can do a lot on our own.

But when God is leading and guiding you, we can do so much more than we think possible.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20

What I strive to bring to the table is what God can do for you and the actions you can take to demonstrate your trust in Him.

If, with God’s help, I’m able to accomplish this, well, that’s the gold star for me. ⭐️

I covet your prayers as I continue to walk down this path.

The Saul Trap: Stop Trying to Improve on God’s Plan

In those cases, the only choice you have is just to figure out your next move.

To try to be some kind of viral presence is a trap.

I don’t want to be Saul.

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The Saul Trap: Stop Trying to Improve on God’s Plan

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