I haven't posted in awhile (a little over a month) but I want to write briefly today on a subject that has recently been on my heart. As many of you know, I have been going through what I will call a "restoration" period. I am not seeking to "lead" people at this point in my life, I am merely seeking to listen to My Father as He helps me to "be still and know that I am God." I have written much about my past in previous blogs and will continue to do so as I feel the Holy Spirit leading me to do so. I want to reflect on some recent revelations that are impacting my life and by sharing may be of some use to you. It goes without saying that all of us have a past, present, and a future (which has yet to be revealed but that exists in this realm or the one to come). The object of life it seems is to make the most of our PRESENT. It is the only thing that we have the power to truly live in. Our past is our past. We can go through the process of regret, serious contemplation about the decisions we have made, but we cannot change any of it. All that we can do is "make peace" with it by listening to God, accepting his forgiveness, and forgiving ourselves. We can also learn from our mistakes and help others who may be struggling with some of the same issues that we have struggled with in our past. Many people also live with worries about the future. How am I going to make it? What can I do about this upcoming problem? Where can I go to have peace? These are all questions that result from trying to "live" in the future. A point needs to be made here, living in the present does not excuse us from planning for the future but once we have prepared everything within our power to face the future, we must trust it to God. We cannot plan for every eventuality or circumstance. Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they {fret or worry-my paraphrase} yet your heavenly father clothes them with great beauty. How much more will he meet your needs?" This scripture is often quoted in one translation or another to address the issue of worry and fretfulness. As a substance abuse counselor in one of my former careers, I heard someone who struggled with addiction once say [forgive the language here but it is so correct], "If I keep one foot in yesterday (the past), and one foot in tomorrow (the future), then I'll end up pissing all over today (the present)." This is so accurate. The present is where God does His work in us. It is where changes are made that affect our future and the future of others who we touch with our lives.
I have recently been reading Chuck Swindoll's book on the life of Moses. (his "great lives of the Bible" series is great if you haven't read any of those books). I love the fact that much of the old testament is devoted to the lives of great men and women of faith as well as those who aligned themselves as the enemies of God. Moses was one of those great men of faith but we are allowed to see his flaws. Why? Because we all have them. Chuck Swindoll said in his book, "Moses spent the first 40 years of his life thinking he was somebody, the second 40 years of his life thinking he was a nobody, and the third 40 years of his life learning what God can do with a nobody." I don't know about you but that encourages me. I am a little over 40....a little (laugh). Not that most of us will live to be 120 years old like Moses, but he was 80 years old when God gave him the "burning bush experience" and even then he was reluctant to surrender to one of the greatest missions in the history of the world. But....God (in his great Love) helped him get to the place of greatness.....The only thing required of Moses was obedience. We are called to obey God in the present......the rest is His business. Sounds simple doesn't it? Why don't we do it? What has God called you to do? Are you obedient to Him daily? Have you told Him you want to be obedient? Have you asked Him to speak to you because you want to know what He wants you to do? You may not see the "whole" picture of the future but God promises to let you know what to do NEXT. Has he already told you and you didn't like it or thought it was too difficult? Did you rationalize with your mind that it doesn't make sense to you? Are you willing to do the NEXT thing so that the thing after can be revealed? Join me in asking God to reveal to you what to do NOW. Remember, simple decisions made NOW have far reaching consequences on the yet to be revealed future.
No comments:
Post a Comment