This flight started out pretty bumpy....I kinda enjoy turbulence but I really wanted to drink my apple juice and I could never get the cup to my mouth without fear of a disaster that would put my in a very sticky situation for the rest of the flight. So I pulled out the trusty computer and started writing. I’ll hold onto this till internet can be found for posting. I have a feeling by that time it will be kinda long, but oh well, such is life and jetlag.
Interesting fact, when there is a blog that reminds you of its need to be updated as if it were a three year old that had been promised ice cream and a trip to the zoo the most mundane things of life beg to be recognized as monumental. So, mundane turned monumental thing number one, those little Wisp things that are supposed to act as a toothbrush in the event that you are ruffing it: stay away! They not only possess way too much minty, it’s the style of minty that really doesn’t deserve to hang out with Crest, Colgate, and the other mouth refreshing big kids. It’s the kiddy pool minty that will maybe move up in the world...maybe....on day. But that’s just my mundane opinion turned monumental. Also, the world seems to get smaller the farther from home you go, I was sitting in the Charlotte airport and bumped into a married couple that I was in a play with last year, Pirates of Penzance cast spread far and wide. Now they are snoozing in the row next to me and I’m contemplating waking them up and seeing if they wanna stage a little in flight entertainment with me. Maybe I’ll just save that for the morning and instead try my hand at sharing some deep thoughts, since sleep is eluding me at the moment.
God has been teaching me about peace and joy these last few days. It’s one of those lessons you feel like you must have learned as a kid and you don’t need to be reminded of, until you notice that you are worried. Ever think about the way that God told the heavy ladened to come to Him? After carrying around my hiking backpack full to the brim all day I am starting to understand the idea of “heavy ladened.” There is some stuff that I simply can’t do with that bag on my back, like dance. Can you see someone who is “heavy ladened” handling all their problems while being packed down like a mule? God didn’t want us to come to Him in our heavy ladened-ness and then keep on solving our problems with our packs on our backs. When I was little and my dad would pick me up from school he would always take my bag off my back as we walked to the car. I would think “Gee, that bag is just soo heavy.” And then in would come daddy and effortlessly pick it up. That’s what God want’s with His children. I got to the point that I expected my daddy to take my bag, if he didn’t, well that just wasn’t normal. I want to learn to rely on God that way. To the point where if He didn’t come through, well, that just wouldn’t happen. The last few days before leaving I would wake up all cheery and brighteyed, ok, not true, I would wake up groggy, but in a good enough mood. And then, as I sat there waking up, satan would throw some thought at me that had the potential to steal my joy and get me grumpy, it was like putting on a heavy pack and then trying to crawl about my day. It was never anything all that awful, but it was just enough. After stewing a bit God would get me to pray. He was teaching me to frankly come and tell Him what was nagging at me, then He would deal with it, He would take my bag. And joy was back. I would remember Pastor Russ’ teaching about how the joy of the Lord is manly and strong, it doesn’t have to succumb to satan’s attacks. Then Psalms would tell me about how God is my fortress and my strong tower and as hard as the enemy may try, he has been defeated and does not have the power to take the joy that God gave. When we are heavy ladened we are ineffective, whatever your pack is, a bad attitude, worry for people we love, resentment over some wrong, or even the stress of wanting to be better than we are, satan sends packs in all shapes and sizes and if he can weigh you down and keep you from dancing for God, he’s happy. That’s not what God wants for you! “If the Son has set you free you are free indeed!!” Don’t wear around your pack when your Abba wants to effortlessly take it for you. He want’s to handle it for you and show you how to glorify Him in the situation, let your eyes rest on Him ability to do a mighty work in your worriesome situations and not on your inability to do...well anything. Abba’s got this!!
And now, perhaps with the help of some cold meds, I will lie to my body and tell it that although it is 10:15pm by my clock, it’s 3am where I’m heading and I need to get all the rest I can before the toast and juice come round in a few hours. Night Word Document!
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