The Great Parking Place

BRUCE  LICHT

Most people’s behavior, when it comes to living like they truly believe in God, can be summed up by this joke:

A person is driving to work and they’re running late for an extremely important meeting.  They circle the block a few times and cannot find a parking spot.  They’re getting very nervous and cry out, “Oh God, I have to get to this meeting on time. Please, oh please, if you could just get me a place to park, I would be forever indebted to you!”   All of a sudden, like the parting of the Red Sea, a parked car pulls out right in front of the entrance to their company.   The driver gets a big smile on their face and says, “Don’t worry God, I found one myself.”

One reason that people remove God from their lives is because they feel they’re so capable, they’re in control, and they’ve got everything figured out.   But I suggest you remove that arrogance and humble yourself a little.

Realize that God is involved with every detail of your life and when you turn towards God, He will turn towards you. (1) When you let God in, you’ll come to understand that nothing is random.   If a person makes some effort and creates a small crack, just a pinhole as big as the eye of a needle, God will open up an enormous thoroughfare for them. (2)   That’s when they’ll recognize that God has everything taken care of.  They will then be able to live in the moment, with the most confidence possible, because they’ll finally know they’re in God's hands.

The term “Financial security” is a misnomer.   It means that you believe that “God can’t sink your ship.”   We tend to puff out our chests and think, “I’m so smart. I determine the outcome.”    That arrogance is a great way to make your 401k a “Zero-1K.”  Of course, always do your due diligence, but don't put all of your faith in your abilities.  Put your faith in God.

Anybody who has ever invested has most likely made decisions that didn’t work out.  We all may know someone who we think knows everything there is to know about their business, and surprise, they lose a lot of money.   On the other hand, you may also know someone who on a whim went for some investment that everyone thought they were crazy (like buying stock in an unknown company like Yahoo or Google), and now they’re sitting on some beach sipping a Piña Colada.

You’ll be much better off if you change your attitude and stop worrying so much.  Tell yourself, “I don't know what the outcome will be, but I know God will handle it.   I know God wants me to succeed.”

So I strongly recommend that you “let go, and let God.”    Do your best and God will do the rest.   The more you learn to rely on God, the more you’ll feel a closeness to Him and possibly, the more great parking spaces you’ll get.