The car won’t start, you’re running late, the baby is
screaming. You get the car started and while baby is still screaming, you
believe you are moving forward and are just about convinced the reign of terror
you are in is over when - BOOM! Dropping
baby off you break a heel lose balance and fall scraping your hands, cutting an
arm and bruising your face. Whew! An
over the top level of ridiculous! This is
a hypothetical scenario, but, whenever this sort of thing happened I used to
land at, “REALLY?” Some years later I
congratulated myself that I’d grown and graduated to, “This is a test” when
these things would come. Now, now I am
truly humbled. It actually took until
today. Today Papa showed me. Thank you, God for persisting with me. These situations are not places to stare
skyward, shake a fist and say “Really?”. Nor are they a test to see if you remember all the things The Holy
Spirit has taught you up to this point in your walk. They are, in reality, the place where Jesus
runs to you, offers His hand with eyes of deep compassion, care and
understanding as He’s cleansing, healing, comforting. Not a test, an invitation. I’m invited to receive comforting, help and
care from God – things I’ve been unaware are even available to me from Him in
those places at times. They are just a highlight of an invitation to an ever
unfolding real relationship all the time.
If a good friend was present as you fell on your face and got
hurt – they’d run over to you and express their concern and sympathy, ask what
you needed, how you felt, they’d help you up, help you patch up or get you to
help and express their sadness to you that it happened and empathize how it
must hurt. God is our very best
friend. He knows us better than we know
ourselves and He cares!
For so many years I thought of these hard things – really
over the top difficult places - were a set up, God testing me to prove to me that I
was able to be an overcomer in Him.
Trouble is, while He is growing and raising me to be an overcomer, it’s
never something He was making me fit to do separate from awareness of Himself
or His presence, love, compassion and help.
I need Him and to know He is present.
It’s not smarter or better for me to ever think I am being toughened up
or strengthened so I can go through these things without awareness of Him –
silly me, somehow I thought it was! Wow!
BAM! – Misperception blown up! That was
a big one!
And it all started with that psalm - “As the deer…” I didn’t even want to take on the
exercise. I went to answer the questions
and felt disconnected from God. I set it
aside, put down my pen and all of a sudden God started downloading thoughts
about His real desire to satisfy my real thirst and need. Could have knocked me over. I began typing them out and was astonished to
see that He was reminding me I’m made for HIM!
I can’t do life by myself – I am not designed for it and I will die of thirst. Funny, I’ve known that at some level, but, I
saw it so differently. I always thought,
I was supposed to be able to do things alone at some point if God had taught
me. He was never teaching me to do things
alone. I am never going to outgrow my
need for God. That is somehow very
reassuring. He’s actually growing my
awareness of Him and changing my very heart in that process. That’s true grace, the kind of goodness your
efforts can’t earn.
Invitation - not test. RSVP - YES, to your Invitations, God!
.jpg)