 The child in front of me was doing what I wanted to do: Lay down on the pew and flop around in agony. The pastor has been preaching for...too long. My attention span was shot and watching him act on his impulses somehow made my self-restraint even harder. Because in my heart – I was him. But in Christ, I no longer have to be.
Outside of Jesus, I would continue to be self-absorbed. Unable to see anyone’s interests except my own. Controlled by my emotions, forced to act on how I feel in the moment – tired, angry, happy, scared. But inside Christ we are new creatures. The old man still pouts and whines, but we can choose lay him aside and instead obey and focus on Christ. And not roll around on the pew :0) I was sitting behind two little boys who had a treasure trove of activity books to help them survive Sunday service. And I was captured by the dot-to-dot puzzles. They skipped numbers, going where they thought they should and stopping in the middle of one picture to jump over to another. And I wondered how often God looks on our decisions and says: Why don’t you just follow the numbers? But we don’t, we often go our own way...1...3...4...9...123. We get distracted from God’s directions, decide our ways are faster/easier/better and plunge off course. So, the next time you see a child messing up a craft or a puzzle – take it as an opportunity to thank God. Thank you, God, for constantly being patient with us. Thank you for always being there, ready to turn us back and consistently encourage us – even when have missed more numbers than we’ve hit.   Kids sit in front of screens entranced, unmoving for hours. But sitting in church is clearly torture from the expressions on their faces and the constant wiggling. The whole ordeal is merely to be endured. In their worldview, church has no value or purpose or reward or payoff. How often we are just like that in life. We see hardship as something that is only meant to be endured. We squirm and complain and try to distract ourselves until it is mercifully over – oblivious to God’s purposes. It’s a struggle for us to step back and allow ourselves to believe God – He is good, and He has real reasons for everything He permits in the lives of His children. Like church. Personality tests are fascinating – because as humans we like to think about ourselves, especially as a part of a special group. These tests are also frustrating – because as humans we also like to resist the idea of absolute conformity. Inside each of us is a spark of unique, an aspect of us that is different than anyone else. So even as we classify ourselves as a acronym or an animal or a color or a title – we know we don’t wholly fit inside the box. Part of us always escapes being labeled. How much less will the God of the Universe fit inside a manmade construct? How much more will He refuse the parameters we make for Him in our philosophies and our imaginations? Our definitions fall short. Our logic cannot comprehend. Our words fail to capture the Almighty because God defines Himself by Himself – I AM that I AM. Infinite. Limitless. God.  |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
November 2025
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