2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

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What struck me the most in these verses was the sentence structure that Paul uses. Isn't it interesting that the subject of the sentences is God? And that we're the object of the sentences?

Going through most of my day, I generally think of myself as the subject performing the verb. I turn off the alarm clock. I brush my teeth. I eat breakfast. I study textbooks. I take lecture notes. I eat lunch. I watch TV. I do homework. I eat dinner. I take a shower. I put on pajamas... When it comes to my day-to-day living, I'm the subject!

So when it comes to my relationship with God, this same mentality transfers and I start thinking that I'm doing the heavy lifting in the relationship -- that I *protect* myself from the evil one; that I *direct* my heart towards God and Christ; that I *am* the main character, the mover, the actor in my life -- forgetting that God is actually the one who started it all.


These verses reminded me that God is the subject, the actor, in my life; and that I am the object, the recipient, of His actions.

Switching to God as the subject and me as the object signifies two things:
1. Rest -- God is faithful. God is strong. God is powerful. God is wise. God is loving. And the God who is all these things (and more!) is the one acting in our lives. We don't need to be Martha's, rushing around and trying to juggle all the balls. God will catch all the balls we drop, gradually handing them back to us one by one as He teaches us and trains us and strengthens us to be better jugglers (catching the balls we still drop, even though He's teaching us). We can rest! Sit at Jesus's feet like Mary, marvel at His love, lean on His greatness, take joy in His company, and listen to His words. He is in control.
2. Obedience -- God will always be the one acting in our lives; however, sometimes we don't want Him to be. Our hearts are so stubborn! I so frequently forget that God is the main actor because I think my life is about me. My desires, my needs, my pride, my shame, my abilities, my worries, and my fears precede His work. What nerve! His work is greater than me or anything I can do. Not only that, He has molded me for a purpose; He's the one who created me. Yet, when He tells me to come to Him and listen, I dig my heels in and say, "Nope, I don't want to." (Oh man...the sin! Definitely a pot trying to mold the potter. :T) God called me to worship, to trust, and to serve. God<subject> commands<verb> me<object> to obey.

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If there is one thing I know for sure, it's that God is love. He's love. And because He is love, He gives us rest and commands. While we were still sinners, God sacrificed His Son so that we could go to Him and be amazed and change into the daughters He created us to be. Knowing that God loves us as we are, sins and all, we can rest; and knowing that God loves us so much as to not leave us where we are, as imperfect human beings, we can trust and obey. God is love. Isn't it so wonderful that our God, who is love, is the one acting in our lives?

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