When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? Do you ever have those mornings where you wake up early, lay in bed staring at the ceiling, and wonder how you are going to get everything done? I know the feeling. I have experienced far too many days where I offer but a passing glance at God in the morning, hit the ground running, and leave him in the dust. Those are the days where I typically end up frustrated, confused, or disappointed with the results.
I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I have learned that there is a better way to live. God has consistently challenged me in the area of living day to day and moment to moment with more of an awareness of him. Stop and think about how amazing it is that the God who paints the sunset in the western sky is with you—even better, within you.
It’s so easy to forget this simple truth. How quickly I am tempted to treat God as if he’s really sleeping on the job. I act as if I am a cave in which he hibernates rather than a temple in which he lives. And because he is alive—within us as believers of Christ—isn’t it foolish to ignore him or to neglect to seek his counsel with the details of life?
It’s been humorous lately to see how many times I’ve “randomly” opened my Bible to the exact same page, 341. In my Bible, page 341 is the home of Psalm 121, a beautiful and comforting promise of God.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
We can get buried in the pressures of life if we’re not careful. At the same time, God is encouraging us to lift our eyes and shift our attention to him. In doing so, we’ll open the door for the most powerful being in the Universe to act on our behalf. He will take up our cause and prove himself capable and faithful.
I have the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, Colorado Springs. We’re planted at the base of Pikes Peak with the Rocky Mountains in our backyard. Shortly after moving to Colorado, I took advantage of the geographic blessing by going for a hike at Garden of the Gods. I eventually ended up perched on a rock with a stunning view of the sun setting behind Pikes Peak. It was unlike anything I had seen before (we didn’t have views like this in Western Kansas). A few minutes later, a pesky little fly started to buzz around my head. I started paying attention to this fly, and as it landed next to me, the Lord spoke something that I still think about often, “This is what you do, son. You take your eyes off the amazing view I’m giving you and you focus on things that don’t really matter.” He nailed me. It was true. Not only was I missing the sunset over the mountains because I was watching a fly sit on a rock, but I was doing this in life as well. I was giving my attention to the wrong things—caught up in anxiety and worry, thus missing everything God wanted to show me. It was his way of saying, “Lift your eyes to the mountains.” Literally.
The view has been much better.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Minivans, Chipotle Napkins, and God's Goodness
I am a minivan owner.
That still sounds weird, although I’ve been told it will grow on me. Ashley has been working diligently for several months to soften me to the idea, and I finally gave in two weeks ago—under one condition: That she participate in the bartering process.
The last time we bought a vehicle, I began working the salesman to have the price lowered when Ashley became incredibly embarrassed. To say she didn’t like that part of the process is an understatement. She actually ducked out and hid in the car. She later apologized, and agreed to stand by me the next time I began to negotiate the price of a vehicle.
As excited as she was about getting a new van, I could tell she was nervous about the back and forth price negotiation that was inevitably coming. At the same time, she realized that she didn’t really have a choice. If she wanted this van, she had to stick it out and watch me engage in this important but painful process.
As we pulled up to the dealership, I offered some last minute coaching, “Ash, these people are not our friends. They are going to play the nice card, but don’t let them soften us. We have to be firm on our price.” She hesitantly agreed, took a deep breath, and followed me inside. It didn’t take long for a man with a seemingly genuine smile to approach us and offer a handshake. I gave him a reserved greeting and communicated what we were looking for. He did his job well, found the right van, and after some negotiation accepted our offer. It was actually pretty painless. Ashley looked giddy that the bartering was over and the van was about to be turned over to us.
I walked with the salesman to his office in order to fill out some paperwork when the conversation took an interesting turn. It turns out that this man and his wife had recently moved to Colorado from the east coast to attend a local Bible college. They moved here without jobs, friends, or anything else—except the confidence that God was leading them.
He sat back in his chair, dropped his pen, and his eyes filled with tears as he recounted God’s faithfulness. Story after story spilled out of him as he explained that God has provided for them in every way.
“That sounds just like God,” I said with a smile as I looked across the table at my new friend. “He is so good like that.”
We signed the papers, said our goodbyes, and loaded up in the minivan. I was still thinking about his stories as we arrived home, so I went to the kitchen to locate some old Chipotle napkins that we had written on from a few years prior. As odd as it may seem, Ashley and I have occasional Chipotle dates where we dream, set goals, and write out prayer requests to God on Chipotle napkins. I found the napkins, read the prayer requests, and smiled as I realized God had faithfully granted each one. In fact, he had gone above and beyond and gave us more than we asked for. It was good to be reminded.
Sensing I was on a roll, I flipped one over and had Ashley agree to one more thing:
That still sounds weird, although I’ve been told it will grow on me. Ashley has been working diligently for several months to soften me to the idea, and I finally gave in two weeks ago—under one condition: That she participate in the bartering process.
The last time we bought a vehicle, I began working the salesman to have the price lowered when Ashley became incredibly embarrassed. To say she didn’t like that part of the process is an understatement. She actually ducked out and hid in the car. She later apologized, and agreed to stand by me the next time I began to negotiate the price of a vehicle.
As excited as she was about getting a new van, I could tell she was nervous about the back and forth price negotiation that was inevitably coming. At the same time, she realized that she didn’t really have a choice. If she wanted this van, she had to stick it out and watch me engage in this important but painful process.
As we pulled up to the dealership, I offered some last minute coaching, “Ash, these people are not our friends. They are going to play the nice card, but don’t let them soften us. We have to be firm on our price.” She hesitantly agreed, took a deep breath, and followed me inside. It didn’t take long for a man with a seemingly genuine smile to approach us and offer a handshake. I gave him a reserved greeting and communicated what we were looking for. He did his job well, found the right van, and after some negotiation accepted our offer. It was actually pretty painless. Ashley looked giddy that the bartering was over and the van was about to be turned over to us.
I walked with the salesman to his office in order to fill out some paperwork when the conversation took an interesting turn. It turns out that this man and his wife had recently moved to Colorado from the east coast to attend a local Bible college. They moved here without jobs, friends, or anything else—except the confidence that God was leading them.
He sat back in his chair, dropped his pen, and his eyes filled with tears as he recounted God’s faithfulness. Story after story spilled out of him as he explained that God has provided for them in every way.
“That sounds just like God,” I said with a smile as I looked across the table at my new friend. “He is so good like that.”
We signed the papers, said our goodbyes, and loaded up in the minivan. I was still thinking about his stories as we arrived home, so I went to the kitchen to locate some old Chipotle napkins that we had written on from a few years prior. As odd as it may seem, Ashley and I have occasional Chipotle dates where we dream, set goals, and write out prayer requests to God on Chipotle napkins. I found the napkins, read the prayer requests, and smiled as I realized God had faithfully granted each one. In fact, he had gone above and beyond and gave us more than we asked for. It was good to be reminded.
Sensing I was on a roll, I flipped one over and had Ashley agree to one more thing:
Amen. Let it be.
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