Word For You is no longer available in print or digital format although the archive of previous readings will remain available on this page for some time yet. If you'd like to continue with Word For You, you can listen to each day's devotional on the UCB Player app.
Fixers
Ever felt like other people’s problems seem to take up a lot of your time and headspace? People who care a lot about others can often become ‘fixers’. They start to feel responsible for sorting things out for people, and want to fix all their situations. The Bible does say that we need to bear each other’s burdens (have a read of Galatians 6:2), but we also need to be careful that we aren’t trying to put ourselves in God’s shoes. God is the ultimate ‘fixer’. He knows exactly what’s needed to help each one of us. He knows the best timing to help us learn and grow in an area. When we try to fix others, they often aren’t ready to be helped because it’s not the right time. It can be exhausting living like this. Moses was becoming exhausted because he personally handled every problem, dispute, and crisis that arose among the Israelites. Perhaps he thought he had to do so, since he was the leader of the nation. But his father-in-law advised him to ‘select capable men from all the people…and… have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you’ (Exodus 18:21-22 NIV). Sometimes we have to admit that we can’t do everything ourselves. We need other people to take some of the weight. We can’t solve everything, and be everything to everyone. It’s important that we ask God to help us decide when we should commit ourselves to helping another person, and when we should step back and commit the situation to God.
What Now?
If you feel like you’re a ‘fixer’, ask God to help you hand people and situations over to Him. Ask Him to guide you in how you deal with them.
The UCB Word For You
Read More