April 23, 2025
Learning to Lean
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
There’s an iconic Seinfeld episode where the sad sack character George Costanza, who usually can’t get out of his own way in life, has an epiphany. He decides to do the opposite of whatever his instincts are. As soon as he begins doing the opposite of what his normal actions would be, things start falling into place and good things start happening everywhere he turns.
It’s a fictional character, I know, but there’s a message in it that resonates with me. For most of my life, I have been fiercely independent. I don’t want to rely on the help of anyone. I want to figure it out on my own. But the problem is that God doesn’t want us to be that way. He set it up that we would have to depend on Him. Why? Because He loves us and He wants what’s best for us. And His ways are so much higher than our ways and His understanding is so much greater than ours. Our wisdom is limited, but His is infinite.
So why would we not lean on Him? Mostly, it’s our pride. I remember going through a particularly difficult trial years ago and a friend who was well aware of my struggles, told me something I’ll never forget. He said, “you’re not going to be able to figure it out.” His words were dripping with experience from his own trials and hardships.
Again, God never designed it for us to figure it out. He allows trials in our lives so that we will learn to turn to Him. It’s funny. We acknowledge Him for our need for salvation, but somehow believe that we don’t need help from Him in our daily trials. He wants us to depend on Him for EVERYTHING!
Proverbs 3:6 tells us to submit to him and he will make our paths straight.
That “S” word might as well be a curse word to many of us. To submit is one of the hardest things in life because it involves giving up control. But we never actually have control, just the illusion of control.
I remember when our girls were little and they would try to help carry something that was way too heavy for them. You would offer to help but they would refuse the offer. They would try with all their might to drag it along. Finally, after exhausting their efforts they would give the universal sign of submission by raising their hands in the air as if to say, “Pick me up.” Interestingly, it’s the same pose we give when we are lost in worship and we raise our hands to the heavens. It’s declaring, “I surrender. I can’t do it on my own. Lord, have your way.”
That posture of surrender makes the Lord smile at His children. It’s not weakness to submit. It’s wisdom. And, in turn, He will make our paths straight. - Ryan Weaver