Offer It Up

 

(May 26, 2021) This time of year – and even more so this year – there’s a feeling in the air of excitement and  hope for a better tomorrow. Graduates look ahead to bright futures and independence; vacations and visits with family and friends refresh our spirits and strengthen our bonds of love;  young couples commit to each other in marriage and begin a new stage in their life together; and, as I write this, the number of COVID cases is down in our country and we can be optimistic  about the future. These are all causes for celebration. 

God designed our lives to be filled with opportunities for growth and change. When life is going  well, our sense of hope and optimism, and the love of the people who support us, propel us to  do good things in our work, our families, and our communities. 

We know that not all growth and change are easy, so how do we handle it when we encounter  difficulties? A few of us were discussing the power of ‘offering it up’ and one friend asked what  that meant. We explained that it means giving a difficult task or situation to God and asking  Him to use it, somehow, for something good. As an example, I described a situation that had  happened to my husband and me a couple years ago: 

Ted and I were waiting in the airport on a Sunday evening after visiting our daughter and son-in law in Florida. The flight was scheduled to leave at 8:45 p.m. and we were due in at CAK at  11:00 p.m. We figured we’d get home around 11:30. It was past 8:30 and we still hadn’t  boarded when an announcement came on that the flight was delayed. No explanation was  given. Of course, people grumbled. Then, over the next few hours, the flight was delayed again,  and again, and again, and pretty soon people were yelling at the airline staff. It was past 10:00  when an announcement came on that the flight was canceled. The place erupted with shouting  and cursing. Then, somehow, the flight was un-canceled and, after waiting still longer, we were  finally allowed to board. As the plane lifted off the ground, I looked at my watch; it was 11:30  p.m., the time we thought we’d be getting home. The flight itself was uneventful; we landed  safely, drove home, walked into our house at 2:00 a.m., and thanked God we were home. 

I told my friend that, through all of this, I felt a knot trying to form in my stomach. At the same  time, I knew I had to stay calm to help not only my own peace of mind but also to help Ted stay  calm so that we didn’t add to the mayhem. As we stood around waiting, I remembered a young man who was battling cancer whose family had asked for our prayers. I’ll call him Tyler. So, I did  the only thing I could think of to do: I moved a few yards away from the crowd and the chaos  and silently told God I was giving Him the situation. I pictured everyone’s stress, frustration,  aggravation, and anger. In my mind’s eye it looked like black clouds, or like a huge swarm of bugs, hovering all around and above us. I offered it up to God: I asked Him to take it all. I pictured Him gathering up this black mess and taking it to Himself, where He could then transform all that negative energy into GOOD energy – something helpful for Tyler. This  imagery lessened in me the stress and weight of the situation. That doesn’t mean I was happy or unaware; it meant I could stay calm and wait without sighing, pacing, complaining, and  whining. It allowed me to separate the facts of the situation from the emotions surrounding it. 

It was also empowering. It was like the bad wasn’t so bad after all, because I could trust that it  was actually beneficial to someone else. I knew I probably would never see the good that came from this, and that didn’t matter; I trusted that God would use all of it for good, at some time  and in some way. (It occurred to me that if I asked God to send even more stress, then Tyler  might benefit even more, but I had to admit I wasn’t strong enough to ask for that.). 

This is what we mean by ‘offer it up.’ The beauty of it is that we can do it any time, in big doses  or small, and the act of doing so can be quite liberating. Sometimes it’s as simple as recognizing  our pain in a difficult situation and asking God to take that pain and turn it into something  good. Instead of just stewing about something, we can ask God to take our frustration and  worry and use that energy for something beneficial for someone, somewhere. It’s important to  note that giving a problem to God doesn’t mean the problem will immediately disappear,  though it could if God wills it. It means that, just like what happened in the airport, the act of  offering it to God frees us from the stress and weight of it and gives us hope that it will serve  some purpose. 

“And we know that in all things God works together with those who love Him to bring about  what is good.” --Romans 8:28 

“Lord, thank You for giving us a way to ease our burdens and use them to help each other.” 

This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her  invite the reader to ponder a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer,  additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the  reader to a deeper faith and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.