Puddles or Playground


Perspective is everything. I sat looking out into the rain one day this week and I was annoyed.  The rain was ruining my plans. Isn’t funny how one thing can just ruin everything? The arrow of life comes, and SMACK, it seems to affect everything.  Our thoughts are powerful.  Sometimes my fleshy mind forgets that important verse: “Take every thought captive for the renewing of your mind.”

As I sat sulking at the rain this week, God said to me, “Christina, where are you focusing?” For one person the rain represents puddles and mess and wet and “ick”, for another the rain represents a playground of fun, excitement, singin’ in the rain.  It’s as simple as viewing the glass half empty or half full. Perspective changes our outlook, it changes our attitude, and it changes our hearts and our expectations.

The theme of worship keeps coming up in my life, over and over and over again.  The Lord just keeps saying, “worship me, in all things, in every trial, with each question, just worship me!” When my focus is on God and His glory and His renown, I can’t help but be filled with His spirit and encouraged by His goodness. Worship readjusts my focus to see the Lord more clearly, to set my eyes on things above and not on the things of this world.

My computer got lost (rather forgotten on a plane) and Jesus said, “Worship me!”  I started to feel sick and was getting a sore throat and He said, “Worship me!”  I was concerned about some family members, and He said, “Worship me!” I was in need of visas into India, and He said, “Worship me!”  When I worship Him, my focus is on the ONE who is worthy. Through worship my faith is increased, and I begin to see afresh how HE is able, in all things, to accomplish His good and pleasing and perfect will.  His plans cannot be thwarted, and they are worthy of all my trust.

1 Corinthians 4: 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you…….16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
What Amazing Grace!
This life is not about me. My work is not about this life; it has purpose that is far beyond. Even the trails and frustrations of life are so much greater than what they appear to be in the moment.  They are but a momentary trouble.  Where is my focus?  Who is my focus?  Worship focuses my attention back on My God, My helper, THE ONE who is able.  Worship takes me higher, it broadens my view, and I begin to see with the mind of Christ.  With man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. The Kingdom calls my name! “Come, jump and dance in the puddles! Praise me! The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bhindi or “Tikka” Mark on the Head- What is it?

Image
(Pooja tikka mark) Many westerners have asked me what the Bhindi or red “tikka” mark means or why I am willing to wear it as a Chri$tian. Many people associate this mark with H!nduism. In my contextualization classes we were taught about finding the difference between culture and religion. The scripture is clear that we don’t want to do anything to compromise our Chri$tian faith and values. At the same time the go$pel is full of the liberties that Chri$t brought to us through the cross. We are no longer obligated to religious practices and rituals. Chri$t fulfilled the law. As we work with non-believers we don’t want to make Chri$tianity another religion. We don’t want to make following Chri$t more difficult than it has to be. Following Je$us doesn’t have to mean abandoning culture, it just has to mean abandoning any other faith or practices of that faith. As teachers, we have to help our disciples find this difference as they come to follow the Father more and more. We don...
Read more

What’s It Like Here with Lockdown?

Image
(This woman sold her husband's phone for 2500rps ($33) to buy food.) I don’t think any country or family has it “easy” during these Covid-19 times, but I do think Third World Countries like ours have it a little harder.  Many of the people who are day laborers or migrants are really struggling. These are the people who work every day to get income to supply that same day’s food supply. Without it, they have no food to eat. With lockdown, most of this population is without income and therefore without food. Today, news came that one lady died from hunger in Nep@l.  Each day the news is filled with stories and pictures of desperate slum dwellers lined up at NGO doors for food donations or migrant day laborers walking thousands of miles to try to go back to their cities or countries to find food. The stories are gut retching.  In our personal city, we haven’t seen these stories first hand. Throughout the country, there are government programs ...
Read more

But God...

Every Knee Will Bow And Every Tongue Will Confess Truly everywhere we look is need- physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual. I see the man with elephantitis lift his giant leg to shift his position as he sits on a mat begging for money on the side of the road. I see a woman sitting on a patch of grass on the edge of a busy highway practicing her meditation attempting to find her inner peace. I see a young girl on her way to school stop to touch the street cow and then touch her own forehead in hopes that her Hindu practices will reap the blessing from her god (cow). Simultaneously, I see a shop keeper allow the giant cow to mosey along his street front restaurant; he even offers the cow freshly made roti (bread) as to not offend his “god” passing by. I see another person practicing yoga with all the pristine positions and poses. Her breaths are well practiced, yet her face is stricken with the look of anxiety and distress.  I see a young man who ...
Read more