Satisfied

   
     "What if all we had left tomorrow morning is what we thanked God for today?"


     The words burned straight into my heart and made me sit up fast . . . yeah, what if?  God, did I thank you today for my children?  What about three healthy meals?  And a vehicle to take me to the doctor's appointment? And . . . 


     On and on the list would go, because we all have so much to be thankful for, don't we?  But we live in this crazy culture that's always flashing signs and blinking pictures to remind us of what we DON'T HAVE, and as hard as I try to escape them or shut it out of my head completely, I can't.  It's everywhere.

     I am learning (over and over) that I have to find my satisfaction in Jesus and what I already have -- even if it doesn't measure up to everything else I see.  There's a verse in Hebrews, that at first glance seems like two vastly different instructions, but when we look closer we can see how they beautifully connect.  In Hebrews 13:5, we're told to, "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and BE CONTENT with what you have, BECAUSE God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"  It can read as separate thoughts, but they are perfectly intertwined . . .

     It is God's assurance of His care for us that should cause us to be SATISFIED with what we have and where we are!


     Pastor Andy Stanley says, "We live in a culture that makes us aware EVERY DAY of what we DON'T have!  Every day we become more and more aware of what we don't have.  It didn't used to be that way.  But every day I'm reminded of what I don't have, should have and actually need."

     Sigh.

     We can't escape the glowing advertisements that adorn every street and roadway, but we can meditate on truth.  The truth that God will never leave us and that we have all that we need.

     It's like putting on a pair of dark sunglasses as we drive down through city traffic -- it won't make the appeal completely vanish but it will dim the attractiveness of all that the world shouts at us to want.


     Lord, remove my desire for the things of this world and replace it with a desire for more of you.  Establish a deep understanding that because you will never leave me, I can and must be satisfied with all the good things with which you have blessed me!

"O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you...

My soul will be SATISFIED

as with the richest of foods."

Psalm 63:1&5

So Close & Personal

     I sensed that someone had entered the still-darkened bedroom but my eyelids were too heavy to force open.  I felt breath, small and warm, on my face and I surmised it was my youngest child.  Then the covers pulled back and little feet slid in next to mine.  I continued to doze, only half aware of their presence in the bed, until I perceived a change in their location.  Now I guessed my little friend had propped himself up on an elbow.  I cracked open one eye and grinned at what I saw . . . a miniature face with eyes that bore into mine.  Only inches away . . .  patiently waiting to talk.

     Personal space -- what's that?  A professional distance -- haven't had that in years!  And to be totally honest, I don't mind one bit . . . I love these sweet little people that float in and out of the moments of my day with their faces squished against mine.  I am thrilled they like to be close.

     I am also glad that God likes to be that close.

     WHAT?!  Did that sound odd?  It shouldn't -- He really is that close and that involved.

     Listen to what the giant slayer, David, knew about God . . .

     "The Lord is MY rock, MY fortress, and MY deliverer; MY God is MY rock, in whom I take refuge, MY shield and the horn of MY salvation.  He is MY stronghold, MY refuge and MY Saviour."(II Samuel 22:2&3)

     No wonder that man David could kill a giant without even blinking in fear.  David KNEW God was intimately interwoven into his personal predicaments -- the real, involved thing -- so close and so personal. 

     Do we know that God can still be that close and personal?

     Do we know that He wants to be our rock / fortress / deliverer / refuge / stronghold?  That list alone is like looking up "safest place in the world" in a Thesaurus and being handed the definition.

     God IS that personal.  And He wants to be THAT involved.  BUT He never pushes . . . He waits.  Waits to be invited into our fears, into our problems, into our exhaustion -- then once we open the door?

     Look out . . . the Bible doesn't say He might save; it tells us that God is mighty to save!

     The God that was close and personal for David in the Bible is the very same God that is available to be close and personal to you and me . . . the Bible tells us that He never changes and He always stays the same.  So stop questioning and wondering whether God cares, and start pressing in and telling Him what you need.  He cares THAT much!

"If God is for us,

who can be against us?"

Romans 8:31

The Steam of the Stove

As I leaned into the heat of stove, I could feel my shoulders slumped over from the weight of the day.  The steam on my face, from the pot I was stirring, reminded me of the feelings I was fighting inside.  There was no question - this had been an arduous day for this mother's heart.  I recognized the symptoms that were flashing "overwhelmed" in my head, and I wondered if I even had the strength to finish the day.  As I sighed, I took a moment trying to evaluate where the greatest pressures were coming from, and I quickly realized the answer that I had been fearful of...EVERYWHERE. 

I lingered over my post at the stove longer than what was required, in an desperate effort to regain composure that would allow me to enter back into the world of life that was raging behind me.  The ring of the phone seemed like the emergency sound from a fire truck, the bickering of the kids imitated the kerfuffle of a barnyard, and the house, well it was reminiscent of a tornado having recently passed through.  While surveying the damage, I asked myself, How did life get so out of control?  Where did I go wrong?  I quickly heard the answer - I didn't go wrong, this is life at its fullest.  Real life, not ideal life!  If given the choice of this or silence, in my deepest of hearts I would CHOOSE this, chaos and all!

The next step was harder; knowing this was the life I wanted and needed to embrace, I still had to find the resources that were required to finish out the day.  Not just to merely survive, but to do it well.  Again, I found my heart staring at a fork in the road - two choices of where the strength was going to come from. Was I going to reach inside myself to where I was dry and empty or was I going to reach up to where my Father God was ready with His unlimited supply of strength? 

I CHOSE to reach up. 

God, I sighed, I need the resources for strength that comes only from You.  Fill me fresh and show me how to love my children in the midst of the confusion I now face.

I would love to tell you that lightening flashed and everything was made perfect, but that would not be true.  Slowly my heart quieted and my joy was restored.  The sun began to break through the heavy clouds in our home, and God proved true to His Word again.  I am so thankful that these are the promises He has given us to draw on, claim, and live out in our homes...may we be encouraged to press on!

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Isaiah 40:29

Unwrapping the Wrapping Paper of Life

It is definitely the time of year to think about giving gifts! I don't know about you, but as a parent, I get far more excitement out of giving my children gifts than I could ever experience in getting them.  I spend months in advance carefully listening for clues of what they might be hoping for, watching in stores for ideas of something they might like and then secretly tucking items away until that special morning.  In our family, we only give two gifts per child; one from mom and dad, and the other from the sibling who drew their name in a draw.  This has helped us keep the day balanced in remembering Jesus really is the true meaning of Christmas, while still savouring the joy of receiving and giving gifts - it also means we put great effort into choosing just the right gift.

I was reminded this week, as I wrapped presents and thought hopefully towards our children opening them, that God is the greatest giver.  In fact, when it comes to giving gifts - He refers to us as evil in comparison to how well He gives gifts.  Now before you take offense - think about that - He is trying to show how abundantly better He chooses and wraps up presents in life for you and me, than we ever could.  When it comes to unwrapping the wrapping paper of life, we are blessed by a God who loves to give!  Matthew 7:9-11 tries to paint a picture of this for us, when it says, "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"

I know that some of us may be pre-programmed to think that this must be speaking to wealth and prosperity, but don't shut it down so fast.  This is God's Word and we need to read it for what it says -  God is our parent, and the Bible tells us over and over that He loves to give gifts; it also says that He gives good gifts when we ASK Him.  This puts the responsibility back on us, doesn't it?  When we open the wrapping paper of life, are we expecting nothing from God?  Something chintzy because we are not really thinking He is listening?  Or do we understand the magnitude of which our Father God loves and cares for us, and do we comprehend that He wants to do this for us?  If our children didn't think we cared, would they bother asking for anything?  Probably not - but when they know how much we love them and that we want to have presents under the tree for them, do you not find you hear more than a few suggestions of what they would really love to have?

Once we have asked, then it is Father God who makes the final decisions.  Do you remember in a previous post that I shared I needed to make a tough decision on a toy that my son wanted but I knew would not last him?  I had to choose to do something else, even though that is what he thought he wanted - I am absolutely sure he will love what has been done in place of that even more.  Similarily, I believe that is the way God chooses to work -  He may know of something even better for us than what we have asked for, but we can be assurred that it will be GOOD and it will be for our BEST!

Pour our your heart to God today, and each day - share with Him your longing and desires for what you need and want!  And most importantly, let it flow from your love for your Father God who loves you perfectly.  Trust Him - we are not submitting a wish list to a Santa in the sky; this is our Creator God, who knows us intimately, loves us completely and longs to give us what is best.  It flows out of a relationship with the one who loves us most!