"It's What God is that I care about."

In only a few days we will be flying down to Central America for a nine-day mission trip. 

And then we will come home and life as we know it will be rapidly changing as we finish the licensure process for becoming foster parents and begin that new adventure. 

Imminent change, no matter how exciting, always has me pondering, processing, thinking... 

And then there has been the extra-long to-do list that I have been working on (and then adding to) every chance I get. 

Yet, in the middle of this whirlwind of thoughts and to-do's, a nail-pierced hand beckons me to gaze steadily heavenward and allow my soul to rest quietly with Him.

A whisper here, something someone said there, a passage from scripture, a phrase from a book... little messages rustling like a calming breeze over a troubled soul. 

It's Him, inviting me into His heart -for this is where He has wanted me to come all along.

//

 "I don't care what God does. It's what God is that I care about." -Oswald Chambers (Abandoned to God)

This quote caught my attention and has echoed in my mind daily since I heard it almost a week ago. How timely it was! 

God invites us to be with Him in serving, loving, being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us in ways we haven't experienced before, and this thought shakes off all complicated thinking that might accompany such a calling.

No, it matters not so much what He is doing in all of this. That is secondary. What matters more -what I am meant to pursue with every fiber of my being and gaze steadily at is what God is in these things He calls me to. 

You see, when God calls us to be His hands and feet, it is because it's His thoughts, feelings and desires He is wanting to reveal through us. 

And when we become a flow-through channel of His heart, His life flows over us and changes us too. 

In obedience, then, we have the opportunity to taste who He is. 

And when we taste and see who He is, we are forever changed. 

//

"In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord..." (Isaiah 6:1a)

I saw the Lord.... 

I tasted Him. 

I've seen glimpses of His magnificent beauty.

My own heart trembled at His glance and its many strongholds sparked into flames at His touch. 

He put the coals on my mouth and told me my lips are clean. 

His voice spoke, and my soul filled with yearnings, burdens, thoughts and feelings that I've never had before -for they came from His own heart. 

Out of seeing comes true ministry.

But if we haven't seen, what do we have to even say or give? It's life that the world craves -life which Jesus defined so simply as knowing God. (John 17:3)

So, care not so much what God is doing -how He chooses to work, if He does it how you deem best, or what are the outcomes. 

Instead, care what God is. For it is what God is that changes us and makes us ready for what He will do through us. 

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life.... That which we have seen and heard; we declare to you...." (1 John 1:1, 3)

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When my emotions are out of control...

Image
Often in the shadows I sit, surrounded by piles and piles of emotions that hold my attention and overwhelm me. Often they arrive in a sandstorm of confusion, walling me in and leaving me full of fear.  They're dirty emotions. Many of them don't make any sense to me. And the more I try to bring order to the piles around me, the more of a mess it all becomes.  One addition to my piles of emotions came through a friend who didn't fulfill my expectations. The one before that came through a sibling who hurt me. Another whirlwind arrived in the form of broken dreams. And yet another came in the quiet of my bedroom, looking in the mirror at a failure -myself- a girl who could never be good enough; a girl who'd never measure up.
Read more

He gives MORE grace

Image
Seasons of great need - how easily we shun them like the plague.   The past several weeks have been drenched in many challenges and needs for me and my family.  Need that has had me crying out to God, “how long?”  I beg him for a time limit, some light at the end of the tunnel, but when I look for it, I just see more tunnel.  What is the purpose of a season like this?  This is the question I have found myself asking God on a near daily basis.  I won’t say I’ve found out the fullness of the answer yet, but pressing the question so much has yielded some light for me.  After all, He promises that those who seek will find.  And one thing He keeps pressing into my soul is this:  My need is my opportunity to test the limits I think God has on the amount of grace He will give me.  And oh, if I could recount to you all the ways He has already poured so much grace, you would think me a spoiled daughter of the King.  But if you saw how each day, I awaken to fresh new needs that have me stumbling
Read more

Every Girl's Battle

Image
I walked all alone down the leaf-strewn sidewalk, my hands in my pockets. A dark figure came out of the shadows and walked towards me. I could not make out who it was, but I sensed an evil about him -an evil that threatened my beautiful surroundings. And then he spoke in a forceful tone. "You had better face it. You are alone, and it will always be that way. Nobody really loves you. You just think they do. Really, though, you are alone." I tried to fight back the tears as the reality of his words sank in. Was it really true? People seemed to like me, but really, did they? It seemed true enough. I was all alone in this world. Nobody really wanted to know what I had to say or think. It was just me, and that was it. Deep in thought, I failed to notice that the dark figure had left me to think about his lies alone.
Read more