The Light in My Window

The Light in My Window

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

"Re-Calculating!"

Rain, rain, go away.....My weather app on my phone tells me that not only is today's rain likely to continue throughout the day, we are in for more rain the end of the week...and next week. Can I just say that I sure would like to see some sunny days?

My weather app is something I use on a daily basis. Another aspect of technology that has become valuable to my husband and me is the GPS. We are on our second GPS device and now that we have a built-in navigation system in our car, we really enjoy the convenience of that. Whether we are on a long trip like our recent trip to Illinois, visiting church members, or trying to find an unfamiliar hospital, certain business, or restaurant, the GPS makes it so much easier.

I heard someone say recently that our Christian walk with the Lord is not so much like Google Maps as it is like a GPS. As I thought about that, it is very true. Google Maps lets you put in a starting point and your desired destination, and voila - you get a complete and detailed mapping of the entire trip - where to start out, what time you will arrive, which route is best to take, and what to expect along the way. It even gives you alternate routes to select from.

Don't you wish the Christian life was like that! We would be handed a map with our starting point, ending point, and all we would have to do is follow the printed directions. We would be able to see the instructions for our entire life all in one glance.

No, following God is more like a GPS. With the GPS you still put in your starting point and your desired destination, but unlike Google Maps, it doesn't give you the plan for the trip all at once. It gives you directions one step at a time. Turn here. Now exit there. Now continue for X amount of miles. Make a right hand turn. If we pay attention, and precisely follow the instructions, we will (hopefully) end up at the right place. Thankfully, God's directions are always right!

When we are following God, He doesn't let us see the entire route at once. We can only see the next step. He leads us along, one step at a time. We have to pay attention to His leading and trust Him for each moment. I am reminded of 2 Cor. 5:7, "For we walk by faith, and not by sight." Psalm 119:105 puts it in terms of a light. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." A light sheds just enough light for us not to stumble and to be able to see our next step.

Something else with the GPS that always makes me chuckle is the voice that says "Re-Calculating!" When we venture off the route to make a stop for gas or for a meal, we are chided that our route needs to be re-calculated. I always imagine hearing a twinge of annoyance in that voice, even though it is a computer and I remind myself that computers don't have feelings! Recently, while on a trip to visit one of our sons, we took an alternate route, knowing from experience that the main route would be a traffic nightmare at that time of day. When we turned off the main and recommended route, we heard "Re-Calculating!" for miles as the GPS tried unsuccessfully to get us back to the main route.

Sometimes God has to give us the "Re-Calculating!" message. It might be that we have gotten off His desired path for us and He needs to bring us back into His will. We can be thankful that God always knows the best plan for us. Psalm 18:30 - "As for God, His way is perfect." He is always good and He is always faithful, and if we heed to His voice He will lovingly guide us back onto the right path.

Or it may be that God gives us a "Re-Calculating!" message when the life that we have planned is changed. We so often have expectations of how things are supposed to be, and how our day or our week or even our life is supposed to go. God may have another plan, and it is up to us to heed His "Re-Calculating!" message and be obedient and submissive to His will for us. I have become convinced in recent days that unfulfilled expectations are one of the main causes of disappointment and unhappiness in our lives. How we react to His "Re-Calculating!" message determines our outlook and our peace and joy.

How about you? Are you depending on God's leading on a step-by-step basis? Are you discontent because He hasn't revealed His entire plan to you for this thing you are trusting Him for? Can you respond with trust to His "Re-Calculating"?

Lovingly,
Kathi


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness

This is one of those days where it is hard to know what to blog about.

I could tell you that this is the 4th rainy day in a row. Not exactly significant.

I could write about the events of last week, which was pretty crazy. It was one of those weeks which inspires the motto "Expect the Unexpected."  Think ministering to people hospitalized and having surgeries (in different hospitals in different cities but on the same day), being out every evening with a meeting or ministry obligation, church bus issues, a missionary family staying with us for 2 nights, a memorial service and meal afterwards at our church, and a really fast all-in-one-day trip to Maryland. We made the trip to see two of our grandchildren performing in a 50th anniversary spring concert and celebration of their Christian School, which happens to be the same Christian school I attended for 2 years when I was in high school. Our granddaughter's elementary choir sang and our grandson's kindergarten class sang dressed up like eagles (the school's mascot). I'll post some pictures so you can see how cute they were, and another one of me with their younger sister:
 

We left home for Maryland at 6 a.m., spent the afternoon and evening with them, and arrived back home at 2 a.m. - and had to get up in a few hours for a teen activity and a nursing home service my husband was conducting. Definitely crazy. Especially since we are not exactly young anymore.

But none of those things are really what is on my heart to blog about. I have to admit to a heaviness of spirit today, and the past couple of days, over the state of affairs in our country. I normally do not write about political things in this blog. There are plenty of other blogs where you can read about politics and the presidential campaigns and race. I must concede, however, that things are looking pretty dim for Christians concerning the Presidential election. It seems like all hope of having a president who is a Christian who leads with any standards of righteousness is gone. In fact, things are probably going to get a lot worse then they already are. We as a country are getting what we deserve - our country abandoned God and threw Him out of our schools, our homes, and our society long ago.

Not only is the national political scene disheartening, but the rise of shootings, violence, terrorist attacks, and crime in general is just plain scary. Two Sunday mornings ago while we were in Sunday School there was a shooting at a grocery store only 2 miles from our church. A young man who was a customer in the store was killed, leaving a pregnant wife and a toddler. This is a store I often shop at. Hardly a day goes by that you don't hear about a shooting or attack of some kind at a mall, a school, theatre, or home. Several churches have been the scene of shootings in recent weeks. When you add other recent events such as  the "bathroom bill" and all that will mean, and it is no wonder we are overcome by a spirit of heaviness and hopelessness.

In light of all these things, what does a Christian do? The only answer is to meditate on our God, and Who He is. My thoughts are drawn to a verse in Isaiah 61:3 that talks about having "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."  A garment is something that you have to purposefully put on, and it covers our humanity. God's prescription for a spirit of heaviness is to think upon Him. Specifically, we can dwell on His attributes and praise Him for them.

I have been meditating on God being a God of truth. Truth is something that seems to be rare these days. You can use your Bible and a concordance and look up verses on God being a God of truth. These are some of my favorites:

  • Psalm 33:4 - "For the Word of the Lord is right, all His works are done in truth."
  • Psalm 100:5 - The Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations."
  • Psalm 117:2 - "For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever."

Other characteristics of God that are good to meditate on and praise Him for are His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23), His goodness, and His sovereignty. I love Isaiah chapters 40-46 which tell us over and over again that the Lord is God, that there is none other, and that He is in control.

These are the things that we need to think on right now. Praising God for Who He is will put things into the right perceptive and lessen that spirit of heaviness. God is good!

Till next time,
Kathi