Clay in the Hands

Wednesday is trash pick up day in our neighborhood.  So this morning, before leaving for the office, I pulled our trash bin to the curb.  Now, last night the prediction was that we would get rain overnight and into today.  When I opened the garage door to go to the side gate to get our trash bin, I noticed it had not rained enough to even get the driveway wet.

But as I opened the gate to retrieve the bin, it began to rain.  By the time I added a trash bag from the house and pulled the bin through the gate, it was pouring.  So I ran back to the garage to grab an umbrella.  Of course, as I described our level of being settled in our home in yesterday’s post, I could not find one.  I knew there was one in the back of my car so I ran out to the car to get the umbrella (the car is not in the garage because it is so full of stuff we still haven’t found a home for that the cars sit outside).

Protected by the umbrella, I pulled both the trash and recycle bins to the curb – of course by now I was soaked and my shoes were covered in mud.  So I retreated to the garage to remove my shoes and clean them off.  Just as I got my shoes wiped down, the rain stopped!

Just stopped!

Have you ever felt like the world dumps on you and you alone – that the cosmos is just against you?  Or to think on another level, have you noticed that sometimes this following Jesus thing seems harder than not following him?

The truth is, nature does not single you out to reek havoc on your day.  There is no gremlin watching you, waiting for the right moment to throw a wrench in your plans.  We live in a fallen world and sometimes life happens.

That is why scripture teaches us that we should run with endurance and perseverance.  Hebrews 12:1-3 says,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Following Jesus is not for the faint of heart.  It takes effort on our part.  But always remember that no matter what life throws at us, Jesus promises to be right by our side.

Now where did I put that umbrella?

We have been in our home here in Corpus Christi now for almost 5 months but to say we are settled in would be a stretch.  You know how you feel when you need something and  you know it has to be here but you just can’t find it?  Depending on what it is, it can lead to desperation when your search turns up nothing.  When we first moved in, this was a daily occurrence.  At least now, it only happens about once or twice per week – this morning it was an umbrella.

In life, we chase after a lot of things – that career, that perfect house, the accolades that we expect from hard work, comfort and peace.  We spend our lives in pursuit, never satisfied and never content.

Scripture teaches us that there is something – or rather someone –  we should seek before all else.  Jesus words tell us that we should seek after God’s Kingdom before all else and when we do, all these other things will come, but it starts with seeking God.

I have to ask myself, “Do I seek God before all else?”  Am I desperately seeking a relationship with Jesus?  The Psalmist paints a vivid picture in chapter 42.  He says in verses 1 and 2, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Does your soul literally pant for God?  Are you desperately seeking the Father as if your life depended on finding Him?

The reality is, your soul does.

Seek God today.

This morning I am spending time in prayer and reflection, and my attention is drawn to the window.  I gaze out of my office window at this view.  I see the wind blowing out of the north on this chilly February morning – well of course I don’t see the wind but I see the white caps created by it.

The palm fronds flitter in the wind and glisten with the sun’s rays.  The entire picture, I realize, is a reflection of the beauty and magnitude of God.

Paul was right when he wrote in Romans 1:20, “ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

The invisible God has left his imprint on creation.

Thank you God for giving us a portrait – such a beautiful creation!

We have been working through the book of Ecclesiastes on Wednesday nights.  It is not known as the source for inspirational thoughts for greeting cards.  Solomon was at the end of his life, reflecting back on all his accomplishments.  He thought about his fame, his wealth, his knowledge and his abilities and came to the conclusion that whatever is done on earth is meaningless.  The old adage, “You can’t take it with you,” is just as true today as it was for Solomon.

We have a tendency to strive for recognition and fame or to work to gather up wealth and status.  While the saying, “he who dies with the most toys wins,” may be a cute consumer driven philosophy, the raw truth is that he still dies.  The question I want you to consider though has more to do with living.

Solomon, in all his wisdom, realized that possessions to do not bring real meaning.  Only a life lived for God brings fulfillment.  So our tie to possessions becomes a chain.  And that chain restricts us from finding real and lasting meaning and chokes out the life God intends for us.  Our focus must be on what lies beyond this life under the sun.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

May we never be so tied to possessions that our possessions chain us to a life with no meaning!