So, once again in my attempts at dominating the cooking
skill, I had a setback. Sunday morning, right before church, I decided to cut
some of the bread I made. I didn’t use the knife I normally use. This time, I
chose the big butcher knife; (The one you see in all the scary movies.) In my
third slice of bread, I did what you are thinking… I sliced my left index
finger right along with the bread.
After calling Joe during his Sunday morning rehearsal, and
my neighbor - who came to my house with curlers in her hair (thank you Susan
Brown) - we assessed the situation, greatly bandaged my finger and off to church
I went.
Since the cut was so deep, and I didn’t want stitches, she wrapped
my finger in gauze and white tape. Thank the Lord, this worked perfectly, and I
am recovering quickly. To avoid hitting the wound over and over, I kept re-wrapping the large bandage during the week.
About the 4th day of recovery, I decided to leave
the bandage off a little longer. I bent my finger to wiggle it, and noticed it
was stiff. A week later, I started wrapping my wound in just Band-Aids. This
time, when bent my finger, it hurt, and didn’t want to bend to its normal range
of motion. I had to work it out some to get it moving smoothly again. It actually
still hurts when I bend it now.
What surprises me is that the cut is on the tip of my finger
– not my joint. We bandaged my entire finger for protection, which meant I didn’t
use that finger while it was wrapped – therefore, my finger quickly became
stiff. I expected my cut to be sore, but not my joint.
As I was pondering this, the Lord brought an analogy to my
mind. When we spend less and less time with him our spiritual life becomes
stiff. Imagine if Joe and I slowly just
stopped speaking. We could have and occasional
hello or some small talk, but no real conversation. What would happen? Things
would start getting awkward. We would not know the needs of the other. Our marriage
would not move in the same rhythm, or direction. We would make choices
oblivious to what the best choice would be together. Then, when a crisis would
hit, we are suddenly scrambling to figure out what to do. I would probably be
demanding. Stress would prevail. Peace would be lost. We would be left trying
to figure a situation instead of working together through it.
Then it hit me. This is what we do as Christians. We may be
on fire and passionate for a while, but then slowly, we find other things to
fill our time. Eventually, we become so busy or tired, that our time with God
takes a back seat. If a crisis hits, we are freaking and trying to know what
direction to turn in and not seeking the one who knows the direction.
The Life Group lesson we studied this week asked a question.
It said, ‘What is your first reaction in a trial?’ The choices included anger,
worry / panic, prayer and fear. I have noticed in my years of walking with the
Lord, that the times I invest in him I have more peace in day to day
circumstances. When I am walking on my own, I have a lot more anxiety in daily situations.
The cure? You gotta move. When I started using my finger
again, it was stiff at first, but have now noticed I can used it as I did
before. Repeated used of your appendages keeps them in working order. Not using
them results in stiffness, and loss of full range of motion.
I now realize that my daily walk with God consists of so
much more than what to do in a trial. I am learning that the more I dive into the
word the more he sustains me. Daily, he shows up to bring knowledge and
learning. Not only knowledge of him, but of his will as well. I am learning to yield
to smaller promptings of the holy spirit. He is helping me see that interruptions
in my day are divine appointments or delays. Have you ever run into someone at
a store? Have you been stuck in traffic and realized you just missed being in a
wreck?
Daily investing in God is worth every ounce of effort we
give it. It’s worth turning off the TV. It’s worth getting off social media for
a while. It’s worth staying up late or getting up early. God calls us friends
in the bible. Friends are someone you spend time with. Friends are people you spill
secrets to. Friends are the ones you call up (or text) to tell them about your
day.
Try God out. Instead of looking at spending time with him as
a monotonous routine that you need to check off a list, look at it as an
invitation. Ask him to show you great things and mighty things you do not know
(Jeremiah 33:3.) Each morning, come before him, lay your requests at his feet
and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)
A walk with God is exciting. It’s not a one-sided venture
where you line up the same requests daily, expecting answers because of your
many words (Matthew 6:5-15). It’s talking. It’s listening. It’s asking for
revelation and receiving it. It’s understanding his will and walking in it. It’s
asking him to show you what path to take – and he does. (Psalm 25:4)
I am speaking to myself. I see where I have been with him in
the past, and what little time I give him.
Go to him. Start now. Spend time talking to him. Tell him
your thoughts. Ask him his thoughts.
You might just be surprised at what you hear.
