"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." -Proverbs 16:3

Oftentimes, we are preached at to "give everything to God" or to "trust in Him with all of our hearts," but I think it is safe to say that it's not always easy to do these things. So what does the Bible mean when it tells us to "commit whatever we do to the Lord?"

I think what God is saying here is that we are to do everything willingly and with a heart that is joyful. We are to try to look at our circumstances and situations through a positve lens. God does not care how hard we work, how dedicated we are to something or someone, or how successful we are in the world's eyes. All the Lord wants is to be praised and loved through our personal actions. Sometimes life does not go as planned and we don't feel like we stack up in the eyes of those around us, but if we give our lives to God and continue to follow His direction for our lives as closely as possible, why should it matter if we stack up to the world? Being noticed and praised for our earthly deeds is nothing without our faith. The Lord wants us to glorify Him and to remember Him in all we do. Having hopes, dreams and goals in life is a fantastic thing, but it is important to have Christ at the center of it all. Removing Christ from any hope or dream in life is bound to create a feeling of emptiness, no matter how exciting or thrilling it is to accomplish a dream. The Lord wants to walk us through our lives. He wants to be there to cheer us on and to celebrate when things go well for us. If we are leaning on Him and trusting our lives in His hands, we can be sure that no matter if we are in a sunny or stormy patch of life, we will have a joyful heart. If we seem to be struggling by the world's standards or if we are barely keeping ourselves together, it is good to remember that if we are leaning on Christ, He has our back.

Whatever we commit to in life, we need to go out and do it with a sense of purpose. Do not do it for the purpose of glorifying our inner happiness or with the intentions of impressing those around us. Do it all solely for the purpose of pleasing our Heavenly Father who created us to do amazing things. Some good lyrics to remember when we feel alone or if commitment is hard are these:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

Just remember that Christ is always on our side, and if we choose to be on His side, our lives and hearts will be changed for the better.