Noticing the rabbits

One day I was praying to God all about me.  “God I want this, God I need that, God help me to become this.” I was praying this while beginning my walk at a local park.  I was in need of some QT with Jesus and was looking forward to our time about me.  Not far into the walk I came across an abandoned pet rabbit near some trees.   Out of curiosity I went over to the rabbit and determining that it was tame picked it up and being the good guy that I am brought it to a pet hospital.  Now understand that I was not excited about this rabbit because it was taking up “all about me time” with Jesus. I had thought about just leaving it and someone else picking it up, or just letting it get eaten, but something made me stop and care for this animal.

As I drove home and I thought about the whole event I felt God slowly speak to me.  That at times I am consumed about what I am accomplishing in this life and what name I am making for myself, that God could care less.  That it is what God wants me to be that is important. I was so focused on myself that God was reminding me that even something as small as a rabbit is important to Him.  That sometimes I get so caught up in me that I fail to notice the beautiful things that are important to God.  To God it is not always about the big things in life, more often it is all about the little things.  God was reminding me to not lose sight of all that He is doing around me because of what I am wanting Him to do for me.  He was teaching me that if He wanted me to only focus on something as insignificant as a rabbit that it was worth while.

Jesus had come to rest at the home of two sisters Mary and Martha. Martha begins running around making sure everything is perfect and Mary simply sits at Jesus feet and listens to Him.  Martha is understandably upset that Mary is not helping and tells Jesus to tell Mary to help!  Jesus responds,

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Today notice the “rabbits”.

Open it Up

Luke 16:10

Read a Little More

Luke 10

Mirror, Mirror

When my wife was in the mental hospital there were only certain days and times that visitors were allowed.  The amount of time was an hour but when you are sitting across from someone you love that hour goes fast!  I will never forget the first time that I went and visited.  I cannot forget the smells or the uninviting room that we met in.  No one seemed to be happy or want to be there, especially the staff.  My wife and I sat across from each other at a table and for an hour we talked.  She looked like my wife and sounded like my wife but the woman I had married seven years earlier was gone.  In her eyes I saw confusion and frustration, they were cold and unwelcoming, void of joy.  For an hour I stared across a table at a woman that I did not know.

You ever wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror and don’t recognize yourself?  Sure the face and all of the features are the same but it doesn’t seem quite you. You look and sound just like you always have but your eyes they seem like they have a little less joy. You don’t recognize yourself because you don’t like what you see.  You are not the same person you were, the person that you knew. When did you start to change?  Was it the hidden affair?   All those one night stands?  The never ending partying?  Long lonely nights in front of the computer? Has the fridge become your best friend?  Was it all the money you now make? Or all the attention you are getting from your new 6 pack? How about that unplanned pregnancy? Or all the drugs?

I will be honest, I did not like what I saw in my wife when she was sick and I was staring at her across a table.  Be honest with yourself and admit that you don’t like what you are seeing either.  Maybe it is time for a change?

 

Open it Up

James 1:23-24

Read a little more

James 1

Different Outlook

Years ago, I was a counselor at a summer camp. I was tasked with leading a group of middle school students every week for 3 weeks. I had never done anything like this before and was excited about what I could teach them. What was unexpected is what one student would teach me.

One night the group sat outside waiting for the night’s activity to start. I noticed a young man looking up at the sky, so I sidled up next to him and struck up a conversation. I asked him what, exactly, he was staring at. He said he was looking at the stars. “That is great,” I responded nonchalantly. I had seen the stars all summer long, and yes, they were beautiful, but if you’ve seen one star, you’ve seen ‘em all, right? He continued, “if you squint your eyes, all the stars look like squishy balls of light!” You know what? He was right! When I squinted, the stars looked exactly like squishy balls of light! Suddenly stars that had seemed so familiar were now beautifully different. All because I chose to look at them differently.

We all need to be reminded to look at something familiar in a different way, sometimes. Jesus had to blind Paul for him to view things differently. You see, Paul (who was known as Saul at this point) had been traveling from city to city ferreting out the Christians and putting them into prison. You could say that he was zealous for his cause and was determined to do whatever it took to abolish this belief in the resurrected Christ. It was on one particular journey that Jesus had a little “Spiritual Facetime” with him and left him blinded. Once he was able to see again he was never the same. In fact, he was so different that he began to help others change the way that they looked at this man named Jesus. He wanted everyone to know how great it was to see life through a different set of eyes, and because of this, people began to see him differently, also. The next time that you feel like you have seen what God is doing or has done before, maybe you need to “squint” your eyes. You might just see it again for the first time, and in a much needed different way.

Open it Up

Acts 9:1-18

Read a little more

Acts 9