Wherever We Are

           Once a couple of years ago, I got a nice little text from my husband.  You see we were working different shifts then.  So during the week we rarely saw each other except for a few minutes at a time.  It was difficult to keep up with one another.  We did stay in touch through texting and really tried to get the most out of our weekends together. 
       The text he sent was short and sweet.  Really, it was very sweet.  My husband is not a terribly romantic guy so when I get a text like that -- seemingly just out of the blue -- I celebrate it!!  It said simply, "Wherever you are, I love you."  Of course I responded in kind.
      This made my whole day!  I smiled every time I thought of it and even shared with a few of my co-workers.  Isn't it nice to know you're being thought of by someone you love?
      Robert didn't know where I was ... or what I might be doing.  He didn't know when I might get a chance to see his text.  But whenever I did see it, he wanted me to know he cares about me.
      
       Robert might now have known what I was doing or where I was at the particular moment on that particular day; but God did.   Our Heavenly Father knows where we are all the time.  Not only that, but He loves us all the time wherever we go.  HIS love is constant - unconditional -eternal -- never changing.  The question is do we love Him? 
      God wants to be with us.  He longs to be a part of our lives.  Of course, He already knows what is happening in our lives; but God wants us to tell Him.  
       Ah, but here's the thing.  We make the choice to stay in touch.  You see God loves us - absolutely no way of denying that, but how often do we show our love for Him?  How often do we spend time thinking of our Heavenly Father?  
       It is much like a parent and child relationship.  I remember as my boys were growing up, I often felt like getting them to talk  was like pulling hen's teeth.  Many children reach a point in their lives where they don't share as much as they used to.  Their worlds grow beyond the realm of their parents.  
    But a parent's love never changes.  They still want the close connection they had with their children when they were younger.  Oh now don't get me wrong, parents want their kids to have friends and enjoy themselves.  
      A parent doesn't want to hold a child back; but they do long to sit and talk to them - they want to be included in some way.  Parents out there can relate.  If you aren't a parent, you may remember how it felt to have a parent ask you 10,000 questions about your day.  It was only their way of trying to stay connected.  
       How connected are we to our Holy Father?  All God has ever wanted -- even from the time of Adam and Eve -- is to be with His creation.  God wants us to be in touch with Him in the same way a parent wants to be in touch with their child.  He only wants to be included in our lives.  It hurts Him when we don't do that.  It is because He loves us so deeply!  
        How often do we spend time in study so that we can know how to live a godly life and be pleasing to our Father? How often do we talk to Him in prayer?  Personally,  I need to work on both of these things.  Sometimes I get so caught up in every day life I forget to include the One I need the most.  

       Ah, but the Lord never forgets us.  He knows everything about us.  He even knows the number of hairs on our head!  He waits for us to make the choice to call on Him.  God created us with free will.  We aren't programmed like robots.  Praying and Bible study are things we do automatically.  We don't run on a predetermined script.  We CHOOSE. and our loving Heavenly Father longs for us to make the choice.  See, He already knows all about whatever we might tell Him; but He wants to hear it from us.  

        Remember the parable of the prodigal son?  We can learn so much from this lesson, I know.  But one thing I always think of is the choices the young man makes.  He chooses to go away and spend his money on "riotous living." Eventually, he regrets this decision.  He "comes to himself" and decides to go back to his father.  

       The picture Christ paints of the father is indeed touching.  He didn't beg his son to stay; and he missed him every day.  But it was the son's choice.  I'm sure you know what Jesus said about the father?   We find it in Luke 15:20 -

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion,

and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

        I believe the father had been looking for him and hoping he would come back almost since the day he left.  Yet, he did not run to greet his son until the son made the choice to come home.  The son had to be ready to come back.  Only then did the father run to welcome him home. 

         God will always choose to meet us .... wherever we are .... whenever we choose to remember Him and spend time with Him.  He loves us wherever we are whether it's at home, at work, on the road or on vacation or .. well, wherever we are!  It really is that simple.  Choose to connect with Him.  Choose to get to know His Son.  Jesus told us the only way to get to the Father is through Him. Become a friend of Christ and keep His commandments.  I know you will be glad you did!

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)

Christ above all things, 

Robin

        
      
      

How's Your Vision?

        Not so long ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table when I looked up and saw something on the counter which seemed a little out of place.  I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was.  I am near sighted so things that are far away are just a blur.  
        Anyway, this object was either black or dark blue.  I knew it wasn't a knife or a spatula - or any other kitchen utensil for that matter.  I continued to squint and stare for several seconds while I ran all sorts of possibilities through my mind.  Did Robert leave a screw driver or some other tool on the counter?  
      Before I belabor the point too much longer, it turned out to be an ink pen.  Nothing really weird... no big deal... just a simple ink pen.  I just didn't remember leaving it there.  
      As I mentioned earlier, I am near sighted.  I can't see things far away without my glasses.  I know I'm not the only one.  Many people are nearsighted.  This is a physical characteristic.  But what about my spiritual vision?  Where should my spiritual sight be directed?  
       Several times throughout His ministry, our Savior miraculously healed the blind, and others with all manner of diseases and afflictions.  Through His power as the Son of God,  they could see again.  Jesus had such great compassion for all those He healed.   
       Mark records an example of the Lord's compassion in Mark 8:22-27.  A blind man was brought to Him. Verse 23 Mark tells us Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of town to heal him.  Our loving and compassionate Savior did not leave it to the man's friends to lead him out of town.  Jesus did that Himself.  He held the man's hand to lead him to a place where He would heal him.  How awesome is that?!!
        Christ had compassion for those who needed it -- who sought Him out.  There were some who rejected His teaching.  Jesus called them blind too; but their blindness was spiritual not physical.  The Pharisees refused to believe Jesus was the Christ.  They could not see what was before their very eyes.  They saw Christ, the man, with their eyes; but they could not see Christ, the Messiah, with their hearts.  
        "Blind leaders of the blind,"  Christ called them.  Can you imagine how frustrated and heartbroken Jesus was to know these men had no interest in anything He had to say?  They were threatened by Him and sought only to destroy Him.  And yet, Jesus loved them too.  If only they had been willing to turn to Him, He would have healed even those with spiritual blindness.  
        We have to keep our eyes - our hearts and minds open to the word of God.  We need to give ourselves a spiritual eye exam from time to time.  Study and learn of Christ so that we can maintain our vision.  We need to keep our eyes on the prize of eternal life.  
        I am reminded me of  1 Peter 1:6- 10.  This is the passage where Peter tells us to "make every effort to supplement" our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and with love.  All these characteristics are interconnected.  They build on each other and help us to grow into mature Christians.  They keep us from blinding our hearts.
        Led by the Holy Spirit, Peter goes on to say if we develop and build on the qualities he mentions, it will keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful Christians.  What a wonderful promise!  
        We really need to pay attention to the promise because the warning comes next.  Peter warns:  "For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins."  This is a grave warning. 
         If we lack faith, virtue, and knowledge our vision dims.  If we have no self-control, steadfastness or godliness our spiritual future looks grim.  If there is no brotherly affection or love in our hearts we become ineffective and unfruitful. We forget. We forget the love Christ has for us. We forget we were cleansed from our sins.  We become spiritually blind. What a sad state to be in!  
       Wait, Peter doesn't leave us hopeless.  Actually, he places his warning in the midst of two promises.  Both of these are conditional.  The conditions are the same.  "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,  for if ... IF (emphasis mine) you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  
                                                                 (1 Peter 1: 10-11)  
          
       I love this section of scripture. It is so beautiful to me.  Jesus loves us so much.  He wants to provide that entrance into the eternal kingdom for us.  He truly does; but gaining the entrance doesn't automatically happen.  We must be cleansed from our sins.  Next, we must keep our spiritual vision in good shape.  We develop and increase in these wonderful traits and follow the word of God.  Then we gain the entrance to the beautiful eternal kingdom.                 
       Unfortunately, Jesus cannot heal our spiritual blindness unless we are willing to be healed.  He leaves it up to us to make that decision.  It is always our choice.

Christ above all things, 
Robin
  

Don't Get in a Hurry!

          There is an old saying, "Haste makes waste."  This is true in so many cases.  This morning I was in a hurry as I loaded the dishwasher.  There was no particular reason for my rush.  I guess I just wanted to be through with the job.  Anyway, when I pulled the top rack out to begin my loading,  it came off its track.  
          Oh, no permanent damage was done.  I just had to work with it a little bit to get it back on its track so it would roll properly.  When it happened, it stuck and I could not move it into the machine to close the door, nor could I pull it out far enough to load dishes into it. Nonetheless, I was able to get it fixed 'all by myself,' as young children say  sometimes.
          If I had broken my dishwasher, I would have been in a mess for sure!  I was thankful that didn't happen; but it got me to thinking.  There were times in my life when getting in a hurry did get me in a mess.  When I was younger, I made hasty decisions fairly often.  Sometimes I still do. :( 
        Obviously this usually isn't the best way to go.  Major decisions need to be weighed carefully in our minds.  Pros and cons both need to be considered.  Take for instance, a new job offer.  The salary may be higher than your current one; but what about the work load and hours required?  The extra responsibility and time away from family may not be worth the extra money.  
        A job is just one example of why we shouldn't make decisions in a hurry.  Choosing a life partner is even more important.  We should never allow ourselves to be carried away in the emotion of a moment and make a monumental decision which could effect the rest of our lives. I know some quick romances last for years; but even then at the very least we should make sure our potential partner understands we are committed to Christ first and foremost. 
      These examples are more obvious than others.  We've all been with a group of people and felt the pressure to do something we know is not right.  Take gossip for instance.  Say we are in the break area and someone shares private information about a co-worker. 
       Do they expect us to join in the talk?  Do we have to take a turn sharing information about someone when we know the person would not want this tidbit to become public information?   Making a quick, spur of the moment decision to tell something we know would be hurtful.   could damage a friendship, destroy a person's reputation and cause our soul to be lost. 
       There are so many instances when getting in a hurry can be a dangerous thing - whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.  Flying off the handle and losing our temper or jumping to conclusions can be really dangerous.  We should remember to think before we act or speak because being in a hurry could land us in big trouble!  
        Cutting corners at work just to get a job done could hurt your reputation as a good employee.  Making snap judgments about people or new ideas is also spiritually dangerous.  It could cause you to be unkind and unloving which is not Christlike behavior.  
         Avoiding new ideas can keep you from learning and growing.  If we aren't willing to grow, we end up on the losing side of life.  This is true in our workplace, in our homes and in our relationship with God.  
       If we make up our mind about someone before we get to know them, we may be missing out on a great friendship.  We may lose an opportunity to teach someone about God.  Either way, we are missing untold blessings.  We would never want someone to form such a quick opinion of us, would we?  It is never right to prejudge anyone.    
       So my friends - don't get in a hurry!  Let's take our time.    Do our work the right way.  Be careful about making decisions too quickly.  Choose wisely with all factors taken into account.  Consider the consequences of allowing social pressure to guide our actions.  
        Let's think before we act or speak.  Let's hold our temper.  Let's not jump to conclusions or form opinions about new ideas without knowing all the details.  And we should never, never make up our minds about a person without getting to know them first.  

        Life is way too short to be in a hurry about anything!

"Do you see a man hasty in his words?  There is more hope for a fool than for him."  (Proverbs 29:20)

Christ above all things, 
Robin