Even when answers slowly unwind, it's my heart I see you prepare....
The song lyrics from a song which always hits me to the core, "I Still Believe" by Jeremy Camp. As I was getting ready this morning, I hear this song playing in the background and of course I start singing as I mosey around doing one thing or another. When the line "even when answers slowly unwind, it's my heart I see you prepare" plays, I stop in my tracks and try to catch my breath. Momentarily, I heard God. LOUD as the music on the radio, clear as day! I quickly realized that he is always preparing my heart; sometimes I'm ready for the preparation and other times, often times I'm not ready. We look for answers and all along he's given one, just not the one we may be looking for, so we continue to search until we find one we like.
When was the last time something took your breath away? Was it an extraordinary event or maybe a catastrophic one? Go there with me now. Has it been days? Months? Years? How long did it take you to catch your breath again? Do you feel like you're still trying to catch it? When I coach, I tell my people to put their hands on their heads as they are trying to catch their breath to expand their lungs. Most people tend to put their hands on their knees (which contracts your lungs making it harder to catch your breath and your recovery time longer), some even sit down in order to recover air to their lungs. Life has a way of knocking the air out of you, knocking us down so much so that sometimes we end up on our knees. And that's ok!!!
When we realize that the good fight doesn't depend on us, God will always give you what you need to stand back up again! He tells us that "the one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted". There are going to be times in your life that you're going to battle, everyday you will battle. The greatest thing is you never go to battle alone.
In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are told every morning to draw strength from God and to strap on the armor of God. Think about your favorite superhero; Batman, Peter, Clark. They all have armor and costumes that equip them to transform from Joe Schmoe to SUPERHERO. You too, have armor that is waiting for you; is it still in the package? Maybe it needs to be dusted off and brought out of retirement or maybe it has holes in it and you need to take it to the ultimate tailor so he can do some repairs! Never seen it, that's ok it's waiting for you every morning!
What does your morning routine look like; a toothbrush and a shower maybe, definitely getting dressed and ready for your day! I want to challenge you to take your morning routine a step further and invite God into it. Don't just get ready physically, but strap on your armor, actively and intentionally every day. Peter doesn't become Spiderman without his Spidey suit and you can't be a disciple of Christ without the armor of God!
God doesn't call superheros, he calls simple, ordinary people to be his hands and feet in our world. He knocks on the door of our hearts, he is the yearning in your soul; he is the thirst that you can't quench until it is quenched by him. When you open the door, when you seek truth, when you invite him to be an active part of your daily life he will always be enough; he will always provide for you in ways that you could never provide for yourself and he will call you to do the same for those around you.
When you wake up, give God your day, the foreseeable and the unforeseen. Ask him to give you his eyes in order to see where you're needed. When you put your pants on and your belt, put on your spiritual belt of truth; invite God to give you the words to speak, to speak life and speak truth. As you button up your blouse or put on your shirt, think of putting on the breastplate of righteousness. Ask God to help you to be fair and just today. When you step into your shoes, know that you are called to bring God's peace and the joy of the gospel to everyone you meet today. As you look in the mirror to fix your hair, imagine yourself putting on the helmet of salvation; ask God to give you the knowledge that your worth, value, and dignity come from him and from his Son! Lastly, as you grab your keys to head out the door think of your key as the sword (yes I know it's tiny, but it's mighty :)) of the Spirit, Word of God; that you may become God's vehicle of love in this world.
So go ahead and breathe. Take a deep breath. And today let God surprise you, let him take your breath away by the ways that he loves you; in the simple and in the ordinary. You are called to be a saint...do the ordinary things of life with extraordinary love -St. Therese of Lisieux
--Live Jesus--
No comments:
Post a Comment