You're Not The Boss of Me! by Marietta Taylor

“You're not the boss of me” she said with a stomp of her tiny feet, a flick of her long brown hair and a defiant crossing of arms. 

I have to admit a smile crept across my face. She looked so stinking cute with her jaw set with determination. She wanted to do what she wanted to do. And today, no babysitter was going to stop her, even if the sitter was me. The problem was that no matter how cute she was, she was also very wrong.

The minute her parents left me in charge of the house and everything in it, that made me her boss. It almost made me want to stomp by foot, snap my head to one side and say “Oh yes I am too the boss of you, little Missy.” But I just smiled at her instead. 

In the end, I knew she was going to put the toys away and eat her lunch. Though my schedule for the day did not coincide with hers, I had her best interests in mind.

In my own life I have sometimes acted just like my little friend. I make a plan and put the wheels in motion. When God tries to intervene and change my plans to match His, often my actions scream “You're not the boss of me.” I like to be in control and it's hard to give that up, even to the Creator of the universe. 

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

God is in control. He always has been and He always will be. No matter what my course of action may be, in the end God's plan will prevail. As good as my plans may be and as much as I may want things to go as I would like, truly they are never as good as God's. 

“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 (NIV) 

Those are some wonderful promises. Who am I to argue with those? After all, God really is the boss of me. I wanted my little miss to trust my intentions for her. How much more do I need to trust God's plans and intentions for me.

Marietta Taylor is an author and speaker. She is the author of Surviving Unemployment:Devotions to Go and a contributing author to Penned From The Heart Vol XV. Visit her at Marrietta Taylor or Mari’s Morning Room.