told you so

I ran across a story in the Bible today that reminds me all too much of myself.

In the book of 2 Kings, chapter 2, we see the prophet Elijah taken up into Heaven on a chariot of fire and horses (which must've been terrifying for anyone who didn't know what was going on).  This is when, as the others in the company of prophets said, the spirit of Elijah was now resting on Elisha, his successor.  They then say:

 ¹⁶They said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps ^(Y)the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send."
 ¹⁷But when ^(Z)they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.
 ¹⁸They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?"

Isn't that all too much like us? I know I see myself in those men.  So many times, we have this "brilliant" idea that we think will do so much good. We have it all planned out, then, when we go to God (out of order), we get... "no."

"But it was gonna soooo awesome!"

"nope."

"but we neeeeeeeeed it!"

"no"

"pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!"

"fine"

fast forward 2 weeks

"it didn't work!"

"didn't I say 'no' to begin with?"

Ouch.  Sometimes we may have a "great" idea. It may look good on the surface. Whether it be expanding a facility, taking a new job, quitting a job, etc., you have to have God behind it. Sometimes, our timing may just be off. Sometimes, it's just not a good move. I know that, personally, I tend to argue with God (which is dumb) when I think I've got it all figured out.  However, we can only do so much on our own. Trust in God and His timing.

Convicted by Isaiah

⁸ Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,^[a]
   we wait for you;
your name and renown
   are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;
   in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
   the people of the world learn righteousness. - Isaiah 26: 8-9

As Passion 2011 quickly approaches, I was reading over the theme for the Passion movement (though we are not attending this year).  As I read through the passage in Isaiah, a couple of things stuck out at me. Verse 8 ends with the phrase "your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." The desire of our hearts. Can we say that? Can I say that?  Above all else, do we (I) desire for God's name to be known?  Obviously as Christians, that is indeed something we desire, but how important is it to us in our daily lives?  Do we care more about God's glory or our pride? Our convenience? Our money? Our time?

Verse 9 talks of a soul that "yearns... in the night" and a spirit that longs for Him in the morning. It seems hard to say that truthfully when many times we struggle to "fit in" a quiet time.  I remember when my wife and I first started dating. I would stay awake all night if I had to, just to see her for a few minutes after work.  Thoughts of her consumed me all day long. Many of you can easily relate to those same feelings. Yet how many times do we forget to bring our tithe, or forget to say our rehearsed 10-second prayer before dinner, or let people walk right by because we're nervous or afraid to be seen as a "Jesus Freak?"

I say this not to point fingers or condemn. I say this because I know that this is something I have battled.  However, when we love God and are loved by Him, it is truly an amazing thing.

Thoughts of Christmas from a young father

The other night, as my bride, Heather, was out finishing some Xmas shopping, I had both our girls at home with me. Though getting an almost 2 year-old and a 3 month-old fed, cleaned, and put to bed can (haha is) a challenge to do alone, it's also a great chance to bond with my daughters. As I sat in the dark giving our youngest, Story, her bottle, I kept thinking of Joseph as he held his son on that first Christmas. What were his thoughts? Maybe he had the usual new father questions. "Can we afford this?" "Are we ready?" "How is this going to change things?" Maybe he was already getting excited thinking about teaching Jesus to run, play football, and how to treat a lady. But there's the thought... "my son is going to save us all."

Joseph knew that his son was to do amazing things. Then I looked at Story. My daughter is going to do amazing things. Both of them. They're going to bring joy. They're going to be a shoulder for a friend to cry on. They're going to one day have children of their own and think the same thoughts Heather and I think everytime we hold them.

Then I picture Joseph, holding his new son close and thinking "he will do great things, but for now, I want to simply enjoy him being my son." I think that many times when I hold London and Story. It's easy to get carried away thinking about the future, which isn't always bad. But sometimes I need to just hold them close and simply enjoy that they are my children.

As we go through life, especially in college, we are always focusing on what's ahead. Jobs, spouses, roommates, summer vacations. What's God doing now? Who is in your life right now? Take a look at what God has placed in your life right now and enjoy it, because time moves fast.