Limits

As I was walking along the beach last week He showed me a picture of how small I am and how big He is.

As far as my eyes can see I cannot see the end of the ocean. As far my eyes can see, I cannot see the end of the sky. Even when i look down or to the side... there is endless sand beyond my view. We are mere humans and so limited, so small. He is God and created all that i can see and more with a simple word.

I live in a land where mankind's main desire is to promote himself, see himself as the center of the world, make for himself a Kingdom. Yet all of creation shouts to mankind, "you are limited, there is One greater that you... that sees all, knows all, created all!"

Yet then i looked at the endless grains of sand and I was reminded of these verses...

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.They cannot be numbered!I can’t even count them;they outnumber the grains of sand!

That is what my youngest boy's name means; Jeriah: God sees or God takes notice. The limitless God in all of His HUGENESS takes notice of me. hmmmm...

TIME OUT

My almost 3 year old is going through a “I want my way, my time, all the time” phase. While I was strolling my baby down the beach this week hearing my “big boy” fuss at me, along with patience, I asked God to teach me through this naughty boy of mine.

He revealed to me that I was much like this defiant child. I want my way and when I don’t get it I fuss at God or if God doesn't do or say what I think He should I stomp my feet, cry, protest or just go and do my own thing. But just like I know what is best for my little boy and just like I discipline to protect him, God knows what is best for us…. He has the whole picture and we don’t. He disciplines or says “no”, “time out”, or “nap time” to us because He loves us and he is protecting us, teaching us, trying to grow us in wisdom. We are His children and He loves us. So when things aren’t going the way you think they should, step back, and thank God that He is in control and that He knows best.

It helps me if I give my self a “time out” like this week at the beach to stop and see our great Father and trust Him.

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Hebrews 12: 5-6

Jesus’ thinkn’ or not?

About a month ago I wrote a question to God in my journal. “What is the Kingdom? What is Kingdom thinking?” Since asking God the question, every time I open the Bible or listen to a lesson from a friend or a pastor it has all been about “Kingdom Thinking”, basically thinking like God thinks.

What is right in the eyes of man is not always right in the eyes of the Lord. Our mindset from birth is based on ourselves and as we grow up we start to live by a mindset that is not necessarily God’s. When I take time to think of what has been molding the my mind I see many things that are opposite of the way Jesus thinks; there is a “me” mindset, an American mindset, a Religious/Pharisee mindset, a “worldly” mindset… some aspects of these ways of thinking are good but other aspects, as I am discovering, are opposite of Jesus’ thinking. Sometimes even the good mindsets aren’t always God’s mindset.

As I am beginning to teach my children…these mindsets and the pressures to fall into these mindsets are all around me. I so want them to see the world as God/Jesus does, but I know my thinkn’ needs to change for them to get a glimpse of the way He sees the world.

In His three short years of teaching Jesus tried to explain God’s thinking to us, He used so many stories to try to help us understand this way of living and thinking that is opposite of our selfish nature.

I think on this “Good Friday” that my plight for the next 30 days will be to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and parts of Acts and find Jesus’ mindset…and compare it to my warped mind set. If anyone besides my husband reads this… and is brave enough to join me I would love to compare notes on what God shows you as well.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:1-3