SSSHHH....Do You Hear It?

Picture by Caprice Miller

“So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.  There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.  But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”” - 1 Kings 19:8-9

When Caprice sent this picture she mentioned that the fish didn’t have a name.  “How sad to have no name.” she said.  When you look at it you can kinda see that is looks a bit scared.  No wonder it’s found its way to this little aquarium cave.  I can imagine this little nook of a cave might give it some solitude so it can rest...I assume fish do that.  I know humans have to.    Many of us would probably like to find a cave of our own to find some solitude and rest for ourselves.  It’s a crazy world out there and sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the whirlwind of it all.  Our lives can become so out of control that we can’t even remember who we are much less how we ended up where we are.  Not that we forget our names, but more of our identity.  The thought comes to mind that “If I can’t remember who I am, does anyone else know who I am?”   Have we become just “another fish in the tank” swimming aimlessly in an exhausted stupor not knowing where to go or who to turn to?

When we find ourselves in this state of mind, it is so easy to isolate ourselves and think we are the only ones to ever experience this feeling of exhaustion and aloneness.  But we certainly are not.  The Bible shows us someone who experienced this.  One of the interesting things about this person is that when he experienced this emotional valley, he had just had the amazing opportunity to demonstrate God’s power as he defeated 400 prophets of Baal.  But then a not-so-lady-like lady named Jezebel got really mad because those guys were on her side.  She decided she would kill Elijah.  So, he does what most of us would do, he jerked up his cloak and took off!  But wait, isn’t this the guy who just defeated those 400 prophets of Baal in the name of God?  Shouldn’t he have even more confidence to stand up against this “lady” and say “COME AT ME!” knowing he is God’s man?  But this is what happens when we go too long and hit the preverbal wall.    We begin to feel as though we could be invincible, especially after something amazing happens in our lives.  We keep trying to ride that wave but eventually, it has to crash and we end up beached or worse, drowning in the undertow. 

If you continue to read in 1 Kings 19:10-14 we see how God takes care of Elijah by slowing him down, giving him rest, nourishing him and providing shelter.  We also read that God tells Elijah He is about to pass by and how God was not in the mighty wind or the earthquake or the fire that passes.  You then read,

“And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” – 1 King 19:12b “…Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”” – 1 King 19:13b

The picture that comes to mind is a father that finds his son lost, hungry and exhausted.  Initially the father says “What are you doing here!?”  The son cries and starts trying to tell him what’s wrong.  Then the father comes closer, puts his arm around him and says “son, what are you doing here?” 

When we get to that place where we just want to curl up and cry and the world has just left us in an exhausted, hungry heap, know that you are not alone.  God is right there.  He knows who you are and what you need.  The wind will be strong, the earthquakes will shake you, and the fire will possibly scorch you, but be still and listen for the gentle whisper.  God is drawing near to put His comforting arm around you so you can tell Him all about it. 

SSSSHHHHHH…..do you hear Him????

You Are Worth More

Picture by Caprice Miller

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:8-10

 

I have a thing for miniature things.  Tea sets, doll houses with tiny furniture, even miniature food such as sliders and tiny desserts.  Even though dimes are not the smallest in amount, they are the smallest in size of the coins.  So, naturally, that makes them a favorite coin.  They tend to be shinier than the other coins too.  It makes me a little giddy to think of a bunch of dimes all together like they are in this picture.  When you have a collection of something like miniature things or anything else for that matter, it makes a much better display when you keep them together.  They take on a characteristic of being “unique in their likeness”.  In other words, even though the item is a part of a similar/like collection, they are all unique in their own way.  As the collector of the items, I would immediately notice if one were missing.  And, yes, like the lady in the parable above, I would search and search until I found it.

But how does a collection of miniature things relate to a meaningful discussion about God?  Are we, His creation, suddenly like a collection item to Him to sit on a shelf (all be it, a very special shelf, I’m sure) and be admired for our “uniqueness in our likeness”?  NOT AT ALL!!!  The parable from Luke is one of three that Jesus tells in sequence.  He begins with a missing sheep, then talks about the missing coin and then ends with a prodigal son.  In our humanity, these situations would probably find us saying “it’s just a sheep.  I have 99 others.  Oh well.”  Or  “Well, I thought I had another coin.  Oh well.  I guess it will turn up at some point if I did.”  Or  “Ungrateful kid!  After all I’ve done for you!  See how you like it out there on your own.  Don’t come crawlin’ back here though when you fail!”   But with each story we find that there is great distress for what is missing.  And then even greater joy when it is found.  If you haven't read Luke 15, you should.

God created us to be in relationship with Him.  Like the father in the prodigal son story, it grieves Him greatly when we choose to walk away.  But He is always wanting you to come back home though.  Many times we convince ourselves that there is no way we could come to Him.  There is too much baggage and we have to clean up before we even try and just hope that He even accepts us.  But consider the son in the story.  He had just gotten to the lowest point of living in a pig pen and eating with the pigs too.  Imagine the humiliation this Jewish guy went through.  Chances are he didn’t have a chance or the money to get “cleaned up” before going back home.  So he was probably still his messy, pig covered self.  But when his father saw him, none of that mattered.  He RAN to his lost son!!! 

Don’t think you have to “DO” before you can come to the Father.  The work has been “DONE” through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.    God has given us the opportunity to have that relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  He offers that to everyone.  He is like the father of the prodigal son.  He is waiting for us to come to Him no matter what condition we are in.  He meets us where we are.  Know that you will be a cause of celebration when you decide to run to His waiting arms. You matter so much to Him and you are precious to Him. 

Ready to run back? Just pray this: Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and that I have messed up from time to time. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that God raised Him from the dead. I choose to follow You, Jesus, and I confess that You are my savior. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. I love You. Amen.

Oh The Choices!

Picture by Caprice Miller

 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’  - John 14:6

There is something so nostalgic about these globe-like dispensers.  When you would see one as a kid you immediately began the begging and bargaining routine with you parents – “Can I have a quarter?  PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE?!?!?!?!?”  And if they didn’t have one you would probably start in on various nearby strangers hoping that they couldn’t resist that sweet, innocent face.  Hopefully, they would have what you needed to get what you wanted so you wouldn’t have to go to plan B or C and begin tapping in to a life of crime just to find that stinking quarter so you could get that piece of gum.  

Consider how these dispensers have changed over the years in order to attract kids to drop a quarter in.  it seems to be more about the machine than what’s inside.  The “maze” machines are the best.  When you drop your quarter in you get to watch as the ball of sweetness rolls all the way down to the little trap door.  And as depicted in the picture above, just the vast array of choices can put a kid into sensory overload.  Now it’s not just one quarter they need, it’s a roll of quarters.  And if you notice the one in the middle of the bottom row, it seems to be empty.  That immediately makes you feel slightly disappointed because there was obviously something in that one that everyone else wanted too.  Now it’s gone.  Makes you feel a little sad if you think about it really hard……but never mind that when you have so many other ways to try to satisfy that sweet tooth!

The crazy thing is that these sweets are all created in very similar manners.  If you have ever watched one of those shows about how these things are made you will see there are key ingredients mixed together and then eventually they are added to a giant tumbler where artificial colors and flavors are added.  They all taste pretty much the same depending on the level of sweet and sour you want.  And the gum very quickly loses its flavor and becomes hard to chew.  You then are left with a need for something to get that taste out of your mouth wondering if it was worth the trouble to drop that quarter and thinking a picture really would have lasted longer.

It’s interesting how we are designed with a desire to be satisfied in some way.  Maybe it’s just a sweet tooth at the moment.  But ultimately we have an innate desire to find that “thing” to complete us.  Somehow we instinctively realize there is more to life than what meets the eye.   Similar to the picture above, we find all sorts of things that seem like it will do the trick.   Money, relationships, drugs, shopping anything that could fill the void – at least temporarily.  Eventually we begin searching deeper and searching for that “true meaning of life”.  There are all sorts of avenues the world offers.  How could any be wrong really?  Each avenue seems to say that by doing “this, that and the other” you will earn that thing to fill that missing piece inside.  Eventually, you will be good enough to attain your goal of completeness. 

Choices, choices, choices…..what to do?  And then there is this guy, “Jesus”, so many seem to talk about.  What’s the difference between His way and everyone else?  As the verse above states, Jesus tells us in the Bible that He is the path to our Creator.  Not A path…..THE path.  He can claim this because He is the one and only Son Of God.  He lived a perfect life, died a sinless death and then defeated death through His resurrection.  He alone fulfills a multitude of prophecies in the Bible.  It is overwhelming the evidence we have to prove that He is the Messiah, our Savior, The way, the truth and the life.  And the most amazing thing is that we don’t have to try to live the perfect life ourselves to have Him in our lives.  He already did that for us.  That’s what His life was about.  He lived, died and rose again so that we could have a chance to live an eternity in Heaven…to be with our Creator.  But how do we do this?  Well, you don’t have to have quarter to drop, thank goodness.   A life that has Jesus can simply begin with this simple prayer:

“Dear God, I admit that I am not perfect, that I have sinned and that I have messed up from time to time. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that God raised Him from the dead. I choose to follow You, Jesus, and I confess that You are my savior. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. I love You. Amen.” 

It really is that simple.  There is something interesting that happens when you ask Jesus to fill that void in your life.  While this prayer is the simplicity of it, there is a work that He will begin on the inside of you.  He will change you from the inside out continuing to help you become the person you were created to be and to be able to have an eternity in Heaven.  You will realize that the more you learn about Him, the more you want to share.  And now it’s up to you to make the choice. 

Don’t be distracted by the artificial choices the world offers that so quickly lose their flavor and lead nowhere.  Make the lasting choice of asking Jesus into your life and see how He satisfies.