Monday Morning Memo: Irritated and Overwhelmed

The family caught my attention as we sat eating in an area restaurant.  They were very nice looking and reminded me of the all-American family.  Mom and Dad, along with children who appeared to be teenagers. 

 

Of course, most restaurants are filled with families who fit this description and while I love to people-watch…I don’t often get fixated on one particular table.  I did on this day though.  It wasn’t because they were doing something unusual, because unfortunately they weren’t…they were doing what has become “normal”…but it still bothered me .

 

There they were, waiting on their food to come…each glued to their phone.  None of them spoke…none of them looked at anyone else…none of them interacted with anyone but the server.  When their food arrived, they did put their phones down to eat, but still no conversations were started.  It appeared that their sole purpose was to scarf down their meal as fast as they could so they could resume their scrolling.  I’ll be honest…I found it very sad.  There they were with a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with each other…to learn more about each other…but they found their mobile device to be more important.

 

But as I caught myself condemning this family in my mind later that day…I realized that while I was pointing a finger at them…I had four more fingers pointing back at me.  I recognized that this scenario isn’t much different than my behavior at times when I sit down with my Jesus to hopefully “consume” His Word.   How often do I let my mind wander while I’m supposed to be reading and listening?  How many times do I think it’s important to just do a quick check of Facebook or Instagram, but before I know it my scrolling has taken up my time?  I have a perfect opportunity to converse and connect with my Savior and to learn more about Him…but I find my mobile device or computer more important.  No wonder there are times I feel irritated and overwhelmed.  

 

OUCH.  I wonder how that makes my Heavenly Father feel, when many other things take precedence over my time with Him.  I wonder if He shakes His head…wanting to remind me that His blood was shed for me…but yet I can’t “sacrifice” some undivided time to spend with Him.   He longs to be with me. He yearns to teach me how to live so I will look more and more like Him.  But it is my decision as to whether or not I take advantage of His desire to spend time with me. He won’t force me to make the right decision…but I do know that He will always be waiting patiently for me.  Why?  Because He loves me that much.

 

He loves you that much too.   So, the question then becomes, “Will you and I accept His offer to spend some uninterrupted, undivided time with Him this week?”  I sure hope so…because if the King of Kings and Lord of Lords wants to meet with us…why in the world would we say no?   

Monday Morning Memo: The God of the Impossible

Last week I wrote about trusting God with those things we can’t see.  Trusting in the invisible.  Trusting Him…knowing He sees everything and is more than likely whispering to us, “Please my dear child, trust the invisible…because it is much more wonderful than anything you can even imagine or see with your own eyes.” 

 

This got me thinking about some statements we often hear.  “She doesn’t have a prayer in passing that class.”  “He doesn’t have a prayer in getting that promotion.”  “They don’t have a prayer in ever reconciling their marriage.”  “I don’t have a prayer in ever being any more than I am today.”  These are just examples of statements which can be made when you feel there isn’t any chance that a certain event will occur in those future happenings which appear invisible.  We’ve all had words to this effect come out of our mouth when something just seemed impossible.

 

Impossible.  The word is used when we think something is incapable of happening.  Just like when we say that we or someone else doesn’t have a prayer…we are totally giving up that there will be a good outcome when we use the word impossible.

 

I was thinking this weekend about these words, and it made me wonder who or what determines or influences when I give up.  Am I coming to this conclusion because I have hard facts, or do I rush to this assumption because I am taking into account my limitations…my shortcomings…myinadequacies or someone else’s limitations…shortcomings…or inadequacies?  Am I looking at the situation through God’s eyes and His strength and power…or my own?

 

If I look to the Bible to find my answers, it tells me what I need to know about “not having a prayer”.  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Notice it doesn’t say to pray about only those things of which you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, will work out.  It says to pray about everything!  So even if you doubt something will happen…pray about it anyway.  We ALWAYS have a prayer!

 

And the impossible?  Mark 10:27 tells us, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But not with God.  Everything is possible with God’”.  So whatever situation we say “doesn’t have a prayer” …we are looking at it from our human perspective.  Everything is possible with God!

As the graphic says, we serve the God of the impossible and because of that, Satan doesn’t want us praying because he knows the power that our God has…the power to do the impossible.  Satan knows that God can take our limitations…shortcomings…and inadequacies and use them for His glory as the impossible is accomplished.  And in doing so…Satan’s impact will be lessened and someday my friend, he will be totally defeated!  Hallelujah!