A week or two ago pd talked about Hope, Joy and Thankfulness. He
spoke plainly and powerfully on the subject so if you missed it you
need to get on the podcast and listen to it. But as I prayed over the
topic I recalled a simple obstacle to being hopeful, thankful and
joyful. It is a great obstacle but it is also a great tool that helps
me LIVE now, and not just survive.
I call them "The Only's."
They sound something like this. "If only i could get that new job…"
or "If only i could keep the house clean…" "If only I could get an
extra hour of sleep at night…" (Can you tell I have a newborn?)
then life would be better. The Only's take away our hope in Christ
because all of a sudden we are hoping for something on this earth and
turn it into an idol. Our ACTIONS stop proclaiming "Come Lord Jesus"
and start begging "Come new Job!" I know because I've been there.
And let me tell you that as long as I'm waiting for something on this
earth to happen and make me happy, then I will not be. And I
seriously doubt anyone reading this will be either. I mean, you know
what scripture says about idols right?
Those who pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales-
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god. Then they kneel and
bow down to it. They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;
they set it in its place, and there it stands; it does not budge from
its place. They cry out to it but it doesn't answer; it saves no one
from his trouble. (Isaiah 46:6-7 HCSB)
If you think about it, if you wait for your "If Only's" to make you
happy, you're going to be waiting a long time. "[they do] not budge
from [their] place…[they] save no one from his trouble."
The great thing about the "If Only's" though, is that you can't miss
them. This is not a hidden sin or something you can deny to yourself.
An addict can deny his or her addiction, and we can shrug off sin as
"unimportant" or "harmless" but this one stares us right in the face
and we KNOW we're miserable. There is no way to deny this fact which
means that it is that much easier to confront. It is that much easier
to take it apart and say
"No, not then. I'm not going to wait for the day when XYZ falls into
place for TODAY is the day the LORD has made. I WILL rejoice and be
glad in it." (cf Ps118)
So what are you waiting for? Rejoice. Today is the day the Lord has
made for you. Not tomorrow. Today.
And tomorrow you can say "today is the day the lord has made for me."
And the day after.
And the day after.
Read more like this at www.justapen.wordpress.com
Questions? Comments? Respond to the Author: seijiyamacruda@tapestrychurch.org
