Hey, This Isn't What I Asked For!

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6-8)

Do you recognize the movement of God in your life?

When the man lying at the gate saw Peter and John, he raised his hands and begged for alms. Born lame, begging for money was the only life this man knew. It was all he understood. That was the way of the culture; he could not take care of himself, so he lay by the temple gate and asked the children of God to help him. When they noticed him and stopped, the man had no expectation beyond the usual: that they would provide him with whatever they had available to give him, and be on their way. 

Instead, they gave him much more. They gave him a chance. A new life. And, as we see in verse 8, this formerly lame beggar responded appropriately. 

I wonder how many of us would have fallen back down, content to maintain the status quo. How often have we begged God for something, only to have Him respond in a way so much bigger than we had dared hope? And how often does that happen, but we reject the gift because it wasn't what we asked for?

Can you imagine what it would have looked like if the lame man had rejected this healing? "Hey, wait a minute, guys! I don't know how to do anything but beg! What am I gonna do now?!" He would have seemed pretty ungrateful, right?

Yet, how often do we say the same thing to God? "That's not what I asked for, God. What am I gonna do with this?"

Trust God. Trust that He knows His plan for you, and that it's better than you could ever plan for yourself. Trust that whatever happens will be to His glory. If you have the faith to ask, have the faith, too, to accept His answer, whatever it is, and to praise Him for the answering. 

Learn to understand that God will bless in His own way, and that His way is far superior to our own, and you will find yourself blessed beyond measure.

Love Note Day: It's The Little Things (Repost)

Today is Love Note Day. So with that in mind, this is a repost from October 23, 2012 - a reminder of the little ways God says, "I love you."

It's The Little Things

Consider this: when you are in a relationship, what means more to you? Is it the occasional grand gesture of outward love; or is it the many little things that person does for you? Is it the big dinner on your wedding anniversary, or the notes left in your lunch sack, the text messages or emails just to say "hi," or the simple act of picking up the kitchen?

When it comes to God, we often look to the Grand Gestures as proof of His love: The crucifixion of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, the blessings of our families.

Yet,  His sacrifice and forgiveness aren't the sum total of His relationship with us. In fact, those things were necessary to begin the relationship. I have found, as I grow in this relationship with my Creator and Savior, that He also shows me He loves me in countless small ways. Little blessings. I'm beginning to learn that growing in this relationship means recognizing those small blessings for what they are, and thanking Him for them.

Sometimes,  it's a good cup of coffee at just the right time (I often joke about this, but think about it: who made the coffee bean, the water; who gave me the ability to afford a coffee maker?). Or He shows me a sunrise when I need to be reminded of His glory. Sometimes, it's the laughter of my children when I need to remember just how blessed I really am. God knows what I need, and when I need it. He knows how to tell me He loves me when I most need to hear it.

All of this leaves me asking two questions of myself: am I thanking Him for all those little ways He says He loves me? And how am I telling Him in return?

It's The Little Things

Consider this: when you are in a relationship, what means more to you? Is it the occasional grand gesture of outward love; or is it the many little things that person does for you? Is it the big dinner on your wedding anniversary, or the notes left in your lunch sack, the text messages or emails just to say "hi," or the simple act of picking up the kitchen?

When it comes to God, we often look to the Grand Gestures as proof of His love: The crucifixion of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, the blessings of our families.

Yet,  His sacrifice and forgiveness aren't the sum total of His relationship with us. In fact, those things were necessary to begin the relationship. I have found, as I grow in this relationship with my Creator and Savior, that He also shows me He loves me in countless small ways. Little blessings. I'm beginning to learn that growing in this relationship means recognizing those small blessings for what they are, and thanking Him for them.

Sometimes,  it's a good cup of coffee at just the right time (I often joke about this, but think about it: who made the coffee bean, the water; who gave me the ability to afford a coffee maker?). Or He shows me a sunrise when I need to be reminded of His glory. Sometimes, it's the laughter of my children when I need to remember just how blessed I really am. God knows what I need, and when I need it. He knows how to tell me He loves me when I most need to hear it.

All of this leaves me asking two questions of myself: am I thanking Him for all those little ways He says He loves me? And how am I telling Him in return?

"Sweet Merciful Heaven, It's Only Wednesday!" -- And Other First-World Problems

I didn't sleep well at all last night. Nothing in particular,  just for some reason, my body wanted its requisite seven hours, and my brain wouldn't get on board with the idea. I left my cell phone -- which doubles as my alarm clock -- at work last night, which meant I had to crawl my way out of bed to hit the snooze button on the actual alarm clock. Of course, the new cups for our single cup coffee maker haven't arrived in the mail just yet, so I had to wait until I got to work to brew and enjoy my first cup of coffee. Brushed my teeth before leaving and found a little "pink in the sink" as they say,  and thought, "Man, when I actually find a dentist, I'm gonna get yelled at about my flossing habits."

But, somewhere between tiptoeing through the room to avoid waking my wife and stumbling around to find where ever it was my kids put my shoes, I realized... I have it pretty darn good.

There are people on this planet who have never even experienced bad coffee -- let alone the sweet, smokey aroma of a well-crafted morning blend. There are people in this very country -- in my own neighborhood -- who would happily do anything for a job. I make a living doing what I love. I worry about gingivitis while there are people across the globe who have lost teeth and even lives because they simply don't have enough water for dental hygiene. I have a beautiful family that loves me, while some children will never know their fathers.

Yet how often, in my complaining, do I actually take stock of all the ways I've been blessed and tell God, "thank You?"

Remember Paul's final instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18: " Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

And remember, too, that those circumstances the early church faced were not nearly so cushy as those faced by you and I on a day to day basis.  

And maybe, in learning how to be grateful for the things we've been given, we can remember also that the point of blessings is often to bless others with them. There is a hurting world out there, and we, after all, have a pretty good life.

God In The Midst of Tragedy

Yesterday was the anniversary of the biggest, most wide-scale tragedy, certainly in my own lifetime. The words Nine Eleven, now forever etched in the American collective consciousness, as the day we lost 3,000 fellow countrymen, and were catapulted into war and political turmoil. A day where sadness mixed, for many, with rage, and with confusion, but also with hope and love. 

Many of us took to our knees that day, while still others decried the very existence of God. “Why,” they said, “would a loving God allow such a thing to happen?”

This, of course, wasn’t the first time in history such a question was asked, nor the last. The question is asked, often on a smaller scale, every hour of every single day. Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God even care? If He does, can He do anything about it? Or does He exist at all?

Romans 8:28 tells us, “… that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Not, you will note, that God MAKES these things happen. Rather, God allows them to happen. He allows mankind to act, and allows him the consequences of those actions. BUT, we can have faith that, even in the midst of tragedy, the Creator of the Universe WILL turn those curses into blessings. 

Remember what Joseph told his brothers. They cast him into a well, sold him into slavery. He spent time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. But, when the time came, and his family needed him, God had put him into a position of authority, and enabled him to help his family, and indeed the entire region. Joseph said to his brothers, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. (Gen 45:5)”

Joseph’s brothers meant to do evil to him. And it was many years before Joseph could learn the plan God had for him. The good God had in store didn’t come right away, but Joseph kept his faith, and when the time came, God rewarded that faith, and used Joseph to accomplish His holy purpose.

The question, then, is not WHY do bad things happen, but instead, WHEN bad things happen, who do YOU trust to work those tragedies into blessings?