I stand in the supermarket line and my eyes wander over the covers of the magazines taking in the latest news. There are affairs, divorce, weddings that cost millions, diets to make you thin yesterday, visits from aliens, the crash of the economy, and other tidbits of info.
I listen to people in public places - eavesdrop if you will - and hear the emotions of life around me. A parent speaking lovingly to their child, babies laughter ringing through the crowds. The harsh yell a child receives from their caregiver, anger at the price of an item or the outrageous tax. The voices of entitlement as rudeness prevails. The grumblings, the snide remarks, the compliments, the happiness ringing out in seeing a long lost friend.
I watch people - their eyes, their faces. Some are so excited to walk through this world - even in a crowded place. Some you read anger, irritation as they bully their way through the crowd. Others are bent so low to the ground you are unable to take in their eyes, their face. They walk without hope.
The news is on and I wait. I am waiting to hear it. They report about all the bad, the evil in this place and so little about the good. Is it no wonder our focus tends to be on the bad side of life?
All these outlets of information to let me know what is going on. God designed me to be aware, to absorb - even when I don't want to. As I listen to the world about me, I am overwhelmed at times. The state of this world - so many do not even know His name - let alone Him. The economy - that no matter how hard we work and save - it is being taken away from us to be used by those who don't work. If I focus on the world, I could become so scared.
Where do I go to find out what is going on?
They "tumbled and kicked inside her" so much she turned to God. We walk in a world that is "tumbling and kicking" about us. So much of it doesn't make sense as it goes against the Garden of Eden - the way He designed our world to be. Before sin.
I learned yesterday a former classmate and friend of Nichalas' died from cancer. My heart goes out to his very close knit family. It hits so close to home - how quickly your life can change in a way you don't know if you would ever fully recover. The phone rang this am and my best friend from HS, who He has had me reconnect with, shared that her daughter gave birth to her first grandchild last night. It is hard to comprehend that so many years have passed since we were sharing life as young kids - laughing, crying, thinking we were so much older than what we actually were. Believing we had life by the tail!
There were times when I was so overwhelmed by the communication of this world, the emotions, the memories, the anxiousness about the future, the worries - I felt like I was on the treadmill of life - and it was at top speed. I was so afraid of falling, not being able to keep up.
Then I learned to go where it really matters. To Him for truth. To dig into His Word and learn that He is the foundation and there is nothing new under the sun. That the world is made up of lies that do nothing but spark fear within, quickly turning into a raging fire - out of control.
He taught me that no matter what the world is presenting, He is bigger. He has trained my ears, eyes, heart to focus on Him, His ways. To look and see Him in the crowds. In the despair, the anger, the fear - the evil - to see that He is there all around. He has placed His people - of which I am one of - warriors for Him - at post throughout this world.
I went from the world - "to God to find out what was going on".
I learned to "be still and know that He is God".
No comments:
Post a Comment