This morning was such a spiritual morning. I could feel God in our house as our kids came down for breakfast. Maverick City was playing, and everyone was getting along (which rarely happens in the morning at the Tate household with five kids). As we got in the car, we weren’t three minutes down the road before my son asked if I was going to pray. While praying, I was rejoicing for the wonderful morning we were having. I thanked God for this day and prayed for my family. It was all smiles until drop-off arrived. Drop-off is somewhat stressful at times because I HATE when one of our kids is late, even though, at times, I take my time in the morning. I still feel like I’ve played enough NASCAR games as a kid though to get them there on time.
As we arrived at our first drop-off, the crossing guard began letting every car this side of the Mississippi out of the drop-off line while we sat and waited. He finally let us go after waiting for FOUR MINUTES!! I’m on a tight time schedule in the morning! I dropped our son off and then proceeded to head to my daughter’s school to drop her off. My stress began to rise, and the holy presence of God that I had felt eight minutes before was totally gone. It turned into something else. I began to not worry about the people around me because I had one objective, and nothing else mattered. I knew had to make all the lights and pass everyone on the road for me to get our daughter to school on time.
At that exact moment, Christ reminded me that my actions were a small example of our relationship with Him. We get hyped up on the Spirit at church on Sunday or at a revival, but once something uneasy or unplanned happens, we have to take control. I went from worshiping God and having the best morning to becoming a crazy man within eight minutes. Instead of thanking God for trying to teach me something (like maybe leaving five minutes earlier), I thought I needed to take control.
Thankfully, God's glimpse into that moment got my attention. Instead of driving like Dale Jr. at Daytona, I enjoyed the ride to school with my daughter and just trusted in the outcome. She knows when I get stressed in the morning, and I was not going to ruin her day. We continued to listen to worship music and arrived with two minutes to spare. It was all worth it as I watched her walk into school, turn around, and say, “I love you!”
I get so caught up in what I believe my own power to be when things don’t go exactly as I plan. How do I go from trusting Christ to believing I have to take control?
As I write this, I hear the song “What He’s Done” play in the background. I’m reminded again of God’s goodness as the lyrics say:
“My Savior bled for me
My Jesus set me free
And look at the wounds that give me life
Grace flowing from His side
No greater sacrifice
What He's done
What He's done
All the glory and the honor to the Son
My sins are forgiven
My future is Heaven
I praise God for what He's done!”
About Daniel:
Daniel Tate is my (Brittany) handsome and adorable hubby. We've been married now for 12 years and have five beautiful children. Daniel works in Athletic Administration at Mercer University in Macon, GA (where you'll find our family at any college sports game on any given week/weekend). God has blessed me with an amazing man that loves Jesus and isn't afraid to share what God has done in his life. He has defined for me what tangible love is and points me to Jesus everyday.
We all need a reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. If you can you relate to Daniel's story let us know in the comments below.
6 comments
Thank you for writing this. I know the feeling of trying to rush but not being in co tool. I’m so glad you were able to get your focus back and enjoy the rest of the drive with your sweet daughter. What an encouragement to me.
Thank you for writing this. I know the feeling of trying to rush but not being in co tool. I’m so glad you were able to get your focus back and enjoy the rest of the drive with your sweet daughter. What an encouragement to me.
Thank you so much for writing this!!! I know exactly what you are talking about, we have 5 kids also. School drop off and pick up is stressful with 2 different schools, 2 different times. I forget on the stressful days to say Thank you Lord for keeping us safe! Thank you for blessing us with 5 beautiful children!!! He has answered our prayers time and time again. Our youngest child is medically complex as she was diagnosed with Noonan like syndrome. Which is a genetic mutation that leeds to being under weight, low muscle tone. And medical problems that we were seeing 11 different doctors at one time. Thank God some of her issues have resolved on their own, and I KNOW it was GOD!! No heart problems, which she did have, and no kidney problems which she could have. So yes thank you for writing this!!! You are an excellent Dad!!
Beautifully said, beautifully written. Thank you for sharing. No matter our age it’s a daily lesson to be reminded
Thank you for sharing. We all need to slow down, enjoy life and trust in God.