Thursday, March 21, 2013

Why Ask Why?

Because.  God has given each of us inquisitiveness and curiosity. Why is the universe so massive a place?  Why do some parents bury children, and some children bury parents?  Why does everything start at the level of the atom?  In general, questions like these can only be answered in one way - God's way.  So, God wants us to ask why.  All the time, in fact.  If we don't ask why, we don't build our relationships with God.  Asking why isn't a matter of questioning God, though.  You should ask God why He expects you to do something.  You shouldn't tell God you won't do it because you disagree with Him.

If you are unsure as to why God has something in mind for you, though - don't always wait for the answer to the question Why.  For, sometimes the answer comes in fulfilling the purpose in the first place, and by asking why we misplace the trust that God has placed within us.  And, sometimes God wishes to test our loyalty to Him, by not giving us the reason why right away.  So far, one way or another, I always learn the "why" of the "what" that God asks of me.  Though, sometimes it doesn't happen for many weeks or months later.

We have an awesome God that does awesome things.  Some of the things God does are so involved and intricately planned that there's no way we can see why he did them.  However, in asking why, we can do a little bit of a better job to understand Him.  Just remember that, in the end, the first reason to do anything is to glorify Him.  That's the best answer to "Why" - because He desires it from you.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Live Like You Were Dying

He replied, "What is impossible for people is possible with God."
Luke 18:27, New Living Translation
While I was getting my daughter ready for bed, tucking her in, I was saying a prayer of gratitude for the day and for God bringing this child into my life. The song attached to this post came on her radio, albeit quietly, as we like to have good music on in the background to help cover up some of the other ambient noises that come with living on a busy street. Seeing as this song was playing as I was praying in gratitude, it gave me pause to think about what it really means to live like you are dying.

Even as you take the time to read what I've written here, your mortal life is closer to over. You are closer to dying from this mortal life, just by a few moments. We are all dying, at least in the physical mortal sense on this planet. However, that's not something to fear. It's something to find great joy in, for the end of mortality means the beginning of eternity. So, the best thing to remember is that we all have a purpose that our creator designed us for. We all have a reason for being mortally alive - so we should all treat each moment as a last moment before death. Or, at least do our best to do so anyway - I know I'm not great at it sometimes.

What are some of the things that I can do to live this way. Well, the first thing I'm going to do is ask God what I can do in His name. After that, I imagine everything else will continue to fall into place as it has now that I have found faith. A dying person (someone that has a terminal diagnosis) might take time to do things on their "bucket list." It's probably best to decide what's on God's bucket list for your life, and then do those things now. Don't wait. Turn around, and go do them. My kid gives me plenty of opportunities to do mine. Everyone has been given this life to prove their worthy of God's trust. So, let's prove Him right.  Let's do the impossible, made possible by living for God first.  Then just maybe instead of living like we are dying, we will die knowing we had done our best living.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Not Knowing What God Wants

I find my self in a bit of a frustrating situation tonight, and I know God expects us to get frustrated sometimes,so I've decided to share it with others.  I was at a restaurant today for lunch with my fellowship-at-work group.  We had a wonderful conversation, primarily revolving around God and His work in our lives.  The food was very good and fairly priced.  The dining experience and the company are not what frustrated me.  I'll get to the blessing of my frustration in just a minute - I do want to say thank you to God first because He truly has blessed the life I live.

My frustration stems from the waitress that we had.  She did an excellent job at her job, and I left her a fair tip because of it.  What I find frustrating is something I saw tattooed on her arm, "La vida es dolor" (Life is Pain).  Yes - we were eating Mexican today.  I'm not sure why God put this young woman in front of me.  My fear is that if I were to return to that place to do His work, she would think of me as some bible thumper and not really hear what I was trying to offer to her.  Even worse, I fear that I could take something so ordinary as a tattoo and turn it into an escalated situation where one isn't warranted.  This is what frustrates me about the situation.  God expected me to meet this young woman today.  He's placed a Mexican contractor in my team so that I can get better at Spanish.  Otherwise, I never would have had a remote understanding of this young woman's tattoo.  He wanted me to meet this lady today, I've asked Him why, and so far I have not heard a response.  I realize that He has a lesson, a test, and an assignment in this for me - I'm just a little stuck as to what that might be exactly.  I suppose I could bring His word to her, but if she's not ready to hear it, I don't know that it would do anything more than upset her to hear it.

I plan on bringing this up with my fellowship group on Monday - I'm heading out of town tomorrow before lunch.  However, as I sit and consider this situation, I really do feel like I am being asked to do something about it - perhaps all of us who met her today are.  Yet, I'm at a loss as to exactly what, and when.  Thank God for this test, for I am sure it is because He trusts me that He brought it to me.  Truly quite a blessing indeed, but God trusts me more than I feel like I'm equipped to handle at the moment.

Feel free to include your ideas, if you wish - because I, for one, am stuck.  As I pray about this situation more and come to taking action on it of some kind, I will be certain to journal about how it transpired.

Thank God for this day, and for the wonderful puzzles he presents to me in each one of them.