The text read: "Be kefir (careful) in the storm."
"What storm?" I thought and re-focused my attention to my coupon book. A few minutes later, while unloading my groceries into the car, I got another text. This one said, "Serious storm headed toward Alex." Another text immediately followed. It was a picture this time of a TV screen covered in reds and greens - a weather radar shot.
Now, THAT got my attention.
You see, our son was participating in a Disciple Now weekend at a church in Wendell, directly in the path of an on-coming tornado.
My heart began to beat a little faster. My mind started racing: Where is he now? Is he safe? Is he scared? Where is the tornado? Is it on the ground?
All the sudden, I stopped thinking and began praying. "God protect him. Cover him, the building he's in, the people he's with, with your protection." All the sudden, the crazy, bullet-speed type thoughts ceased and peace came. I no longer was worried about his safety. I knew whatever happened, God was in control, and it would be okay, even if it wasn't okay.
I put the car in drive and began heading home. It wasn't until I got home and started thinking about how horrified all those kids must be that the thoughts returned. My mind was flooded with how my own child must feel, being there without us...with people he didn't really know...in an unfamiliar place.
I wanted to be there with him. I wanted to tell him that God "had this." Most of all, I wanted him home and safe with me, and I wanted it NOW. Flurries of anxiety filled my head and again, I found myself praying. Except this time, it began with an apology to the Father. Because somewhere in my rant and rave, the Spirit spoke into my heart: "So you can trust Me with your child's safety, but you can't trust me to handle his emotional state?"
God was right - as usual : )
I don't have a hard time trusting Him with the Big stuff...the stuff I know that I have no control over, but I have an incredibly hard time trusting Him with the little stuff - the stuff that I think I can do something about - the things I think I can control if I have the chance.
And yet, regardless of the "bigness" or the "smallness" of it, fear is fear - sin - a lack of trust in the Father. Period.
Is. 41:10 says, "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I
will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
I love this verse. In it, God commands us not to fear. "Why?" you might ask. "Why should we not be afraid of the tornadoes and the bad weather and the emotional upheaval they cause?" Simply put - for He is with us. "Why should we not freak out and allow those crazy, random thoughts to fill our minds, causing stress and inhibiting rational thinking?" Again, simply put - He is our God.
God doesn't tell us not to fear, because it's really not as bad as we think it is. He doesn't try to gloss over the emotional upheaval and say that tornadoes are just little gusts of wind. He doesn't pretend that we have nothing to be afraid of as humans. Instead, He focuses our attention away from the things that cause us fear and re-focuses our attention onto Himself. He is with us. He is our God, and He is big enough to handle anything that is thrown OUR way.
He's letting us know that He is still in control, when everything makes us think otherwise. He is reminding us that nothing can touch us that hasn't been filtered through His hand first. He assuring us that He's "got this," that He hasn't left us alone...and never will.
Do yourself a favor. Memorize this verse. Place it in your spiritual arsenal to hurl against those fearful emotions, when they seem to be enveloping you.
Remember. God is your God, my friend, if you are in Christ - and He is WITH us.
Dear Father, thank You that you are my God...that You have never once thought about leaving Your child, and You never will. Thank You that You are always there and that You don't PRETEND that everything will be alright - You MAKE everything alright. You truly are my God. I love You, and I trust in You.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Life's a Little Like a Lawn Mower Sometimes
Spring is upon us. Okay, so there is actually a Winter Storm Warning that has crept back into the forecast for today, but the daffodils are blooming and the Bradford Pear trees are beginning to bud. Along with these signs of spring, come thoughts of gardens producing (or not!), flowers blooming in bright, beautiful colors and patterns in our lawns, and grass...and oh, the grass. Grass that needs to be cut and lawnmowers that spend more time in the shop than they do on our lawns. Are you with me?
Speaking of lawn mowers...
Have you ever thought about the fact that a lawnmower is just a big, hunk of useless metal that takes up space in your back yard, unless it has something to power it? Intrinsically, it has no power on its own. You can try to coax it to cut your grass. You can even slip it a twenty, but it won't budge unless it has something filling the tank.
It's THEN the mower becomes useful. The engine can be turned over and behold - this big hunk of metal begins to do it's job. Within a matter of minutes or hours, the mower accomplishes the purpose for which it was created - to cut the grass.
Let's pretend for a moment. Let's just say that I had company coming over in less than an hour and realize the grass has not been cut. I hurry outside, grab the lawnmower, pull the cord, the engine roars, and I go on my merry way. All of the sudden, my mower spits and sputters and the engine quits...reminding me that I forgot to fill the tank with gas. I go to get the gas can and alas, no more gas and no more time to go get some.
Being the mechanically brilliant person that I am, I decide that if I add a little oil and water to the gas tank, that should get the engine working enough to finish the yard. All of you who know anything about motors are shaking your heads in shame right now. You know that if I add anything else to the tank besides gasoline, I've got real problems. The engine won't start, and my guests will arrive, unable to see the driveway because of the forest of grass that blocks the view.
Translate that into our spiritual life.
II Corinthians says, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
Like it or not, we are the earthen vessels II Corinthians talks about. We are plain, useless, and powerless. The "treasure" that we hold within us has nothing to do with us. It is not our abilities or our talents or our even gifts we desire to give to the Lord. The "treasure" is the Spirit, Himself. The "treasure" is the power that works within us to show God to the world...that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Unfortunately, I sometimes have issues with this. You see, I want to be the power behind the treasure. I want to "help" God fulfill His plans for me. I want to "add" something to my tank.
For example, rather than pray about what I need to do in certain situations, I have a tendency to go ahead and try to fix the problem in my own power. Rather than sitting and listening to Him tell me what I need to be involved in, I'd rather just jump in with both feet and feel important in my service. Rather than waiting for an answer to a question I have, I'll push forward, hoping things will work out for the best.
I will live in, and by my own power, trust my human abilities to fulfill God's purpose and plan for my life...while the whole time adding water and oil to my GAS tank. My intentions are good, but my energy is soon drained, and I am once again, left feeling very empty. I was never intended to fulfill God's plan for me. That's His job.
God said that the excellency of the power was to look like Him, not like us. So when we try to "help" God, the things we do and accomplish look more like us, than like Him.
So my advice to you and to me today? Be the thing you were created to be - a vessel - a clean, empty, useable vessel. And allow Him to be the power that lives within, does the work, and ultimately gets the glory for the excellence of His power at work in your life.
Lord, let me be just a vessel today and when I try to take glory for the power that is at work w/in me, forgive and remind and rebuke, if necessary. Thank You for the power that lies within!
Speaking of lawn mowers...
Have you ever thought about the fact that a lawnmower is just a big, hunk of useless metal that takes up space in your back yard, unless it has something to power it? Intrinsically, it has no power on its own. You can try to coax it to cut your grass. You can even slip it a twenty, but it won't budge unless it has something filling the tank.
It's THEN the mower becomes useful. The engine can be turned over and behold - this big hunk of metal begins to do it's job. Within a matter of minutes or hours, the mower accomplishes the purpose for which it was created - to cut the grass.
Let's pretend for a moment. Let's just say that I had company coming over in less than an hour and realize the grass has not been cut. I hurry outside, grab the lawnmower, pull the cord, the engine roars, and I go on my merry way. All of the sudden, my mower spits and sputters and the engine quits...reminding me that I forgot to fill the tank with gas. I go to get the gas can and alas, no more gas and no more time to go get some.
Being the mechanically brilliant person that I am, I decide that if I add a little oil and water to the gas tank, that should get the engine working enough to finish the yard. All of you who know anything about motors are shaking your heads in shame right now. You know that if I add anything else to the tank besides gasoline, I've got real problems. The engine won't start, and my guests will arrive, unable to see the driveway because of the forest of grass that blocks the view.
Translate that into our spiritual life.
II Corinthians says, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
Like it or not, we are the earthen vessels II Corinthians talks about. We are plain, useless, and powerless. The "treasure" that we hold within us has nothing to do with us. It is not our abilities or our talents or our even gifts we desire to give to the Lord. The "treasure" is the Spirit, Himself. The "treasure" is the power that works within us to show God to the world...that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Unfortunately, I sometimes have issues with this. You see, I want to be the power behind the treasure. I want to "help" God fulfill His plans for me. I want to "add" something to my tank.
For example, rather than pray about what I need to do in certain situations, I have a tendency to go ahead and try to fix the problem in my own power. Rather than sitting and listening to Him tell me what I need to be involved in, I'd rather just jump in with both feet and feel important in my service. Rather than waiting for an answer to a question I have, I'll push forward, hoping things will work out for the best.
I will live in, and by my own power, trust my human abilities to fulfill God's purpose and plan for my life...while the whole time adding water and oil to my GAS tank. My intentions are good, but my energy is soon drained, and I am once again, left feeling very empty. I was never intended to fulfill God's plan for me. That's His job.
God said that the excellency of the power was to look like Him, not like us. So when we try to "help" God, the things we do and accomplish look more like us, than like Him.
So my advice to you and to me today? Be the thing you were created to be - a vessel - a clean, empty, useable vessel. And allow Him to be the power that lives within, does the work, and ultimately gets the glory for the excellence of His power at work in your life.
Lord, let me be just a vessel today and when I try to take glory for the power that is at work w/in me, forgive and remind and rebuke, if necessary. Thank You for the power that lies within!
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