MY DO IT by Tony Manley

The Christmas holiday of 2012 is over and the phrase “my do it” is still ringing loudly in my ears! 

I kept our two-year-old grandson from “Dalla Tesus” along with his eight-month-old sister while their dad and mom celebrated her happy thirtieth birthday at a concert by Celine Dion! It was lovely for them and us. But I learned so much about the “my do it” heart. Let me explain.

Mr. My Do It is growing up! He is gaining confidence in putting on socks, shoes, belt, brushing teeth, feeding himself - basically he is becoming very proud of himself in his gaining independence and knowledge of everyday life! This is a good thing.

Mr. My Do It is also good at expressing “I OK” when he falls or bumps – especially when it is a circumstance where we may have said, “Let’s don’t climb up there” or “Be careful, danger, hot, high.” Often when Mr. My Do It continues on, I watch and stay close because I know one of these times it is not going to be “I OK.” 

If you have not picked up on this object lesson rambling, let me enlighten your heart! Just as our Baxter is Mr. My Do It, the Lord spoke loudly (I hope no one else in the room heard Him in my ear, but if they did they were polite enough not to stare or glare at me!) to my heart and said, “Look at yourself. You also are the one who can be quick to say to Me, ‘I do it’ when I, God, want you to let Me do it! Then when I have said, 'Let’s don’t climb up there' or 'Be careful, danger, hot, high, no entrance…' you, daughter, have been known to keep right on going! And then, jump up and say, 'I OK', only to find each fall or bump hurts, bruises, and scars more deeply.”  Sweetly and tenderly, I experience my Father pick me up, hold me, and remind me - it is because He was/is close by, attentive, and ready to brush me off and send me back with His Presence to the daily life He wants me to grow doing. I began to appreciate again God’s patient, never ending, never failing love for me. Our Baxter has served a great role in my life during these recent days!

As I begin a new year, I truly do want to resist growing so confident in me, that I become Ms. My Do It. I want to become more Lord, You Do It and I will follow obediently. Pain, hurts, wounds, scars are inevitable on this side of heaven, but my Father is near and watching. He is my “ever present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1) and my “greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John4:4).

Father, thank you that in You I am new. You desire my will to say, “Lord, You do it.” You are gracious and kind, patient and present. As I begin a new moment, day, year - may I be a believer and “obeyer” when you say, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)   Take my “My Do It” heart away and replace it with “Lord, You do it.”  Amen