Seeing What God Sees

Faith.  

It is a word that is tossed around all the time in the world of Christians.  Sometimes it is tossed very lightly.  Sometimes it is held on to too tightly.  And sometimes it is just another word in the scheme of life.

But when you ask people what faith is, the definition does not come so easily.  Some people say it is a belief.  Some say it is trusting in something you can't see.  Some say it is believing in something.  

There are people that say that we need to strengthen our faith.  That we need to have more faith.  We need to have stronger faith.  But what does all that mean?   How do you strengthen your faith when you aren't exactly sure what faith is?  How do you become strong in your faith?  That is a good question.

I was listening to a sermon by David Asscherick called "Eyes Wide Shut".  It is on YouTube if you want to look it up and watch it.  I recommend you doing so.  And, no, I am not being paid to have you watch it.  This is not a plug in.  But I really enjoyed the sermon.  I am not going to rehash the sermon.  I would rather you watch it than me tell you about it.  But there are some things that really got my attention and got me to thinking.

The first is faith is seeing what God sees.  It is not seeing what we see.  Our imperfect vision cannot see through the eyes of God.  But God can use our eyes to see like He does.  So what does that mean, to see what God sees?  I had a dream the other night that I was driving down the road.  But I noticed up ahead that I could not see what was beyond a hump in the road.  It looked almost like a roller coaster when you are about to go down a steep slope.  You see nothing and feel like you are going to fall off the edge of the roller coaster.  This is how I felt in my dream. I felt that there was no more road to drive on and that if I kept going, I would fall off the road and end up falling to my demise.  This is seeing as I see.  Not as God sees. I see with fear and trepidation.  I see no end in sight.  I see road blocks and detours.  But God sees hope.  He sees the road ahead.  He sees safety.  Through God's eyes, I should see the road that I cannot see.  It is through His eyes that I know that I can keep going.  Through His eyes, I am given His strength to continue.  It is not about me.  It is about Him.  It is about following His direction.  It is about His perfection in our imperfection.  Believing in a perfect God in an imperfect world.  And seeing perfectly through His eyes.

This is how Noah was able to build an ark.  This is how Abraham was able to leave everything he knew to follow God.  This is how Moses was able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea.  They were able to see what God saw even though they themselves could not see it. 

The second point that really hit me is that through faith we are able to see ourselves as God sees us, others as God see them, and the world as God sees it.  This really made me think.  In Matthew 25: 31-46, Jesus tells a parable in which the righteous and unrighteous are separated on two sides.  He called the righteous to Him because they fed Him, clothed Him, visited Him in prison and in the hospital.  They did not understand how this was possible.  How did they do these things for Jesus?  Jesus said "If you did it to the least of these, you did it for me."  The righteous were able to see the world as God saw it.  They saw the needs of the people and saw them through the eyes of God.  

If the righteous did these things to Jesus because they did it for others, then would it not be the same if we did unrighteous things to others?  Would we not then also being doing them to Jesus?  If we gossip, does that mean we are gossiping about Jesus?  If we cheat in our relationships, then are we not also cheating on Jesus? If we hurt someone, are we not hurting Jesus as well?  

Our actions take a lot more meaning than we give them. We should look at others as God looks at them.  We should love others as God loves them.  

How are we able to call ourselves Christians but not treat others as God would treat them?  If we saw others as God saw them, this world would be a much better place to live in.  There would be more love and less hate.  There would be more fellowship and less distance.  There would be more growing in Christ and less growing away from Christ.  We need to have faith.  And we need to express our faith.  We need to see as God sees and share what we see through Him. 

I want my faith to rest in the eyes of Jesus.  I want to see what He sees and not what I see.  I want to treat others as He would treat them.  I want to love like He loves.  I want THAT kind of faith.  But this is only possible By God's Amazing Grace.

Excitement Over Snow

We woke up Friday morning to snow falling from the sky.  It was a beautiful sight.  Being from Texas, snow is a pretty new concept for the whole family.  Especially in October.  As we went down to the car, we noticed there was snow EVERYWHERE.  We have an ice scrapper that we had to use once or twice in the past 30 years when I lived in Texas.  So it was packed far away.  We had to think quick on our feet as the snow was piled at least 2 inches on the car.  The Hubs grabbed a bowl.  Pretty ingenuitive.  

We finally got the car to a point where all sides were clean and clear.  We could see out from every window and in every mirror.  So we were finally on our way.  The streets were wet, but they were not icy.  

When we finally arrived at our destination, school, we got Little Bit out of the car.  By this point, she was officially awake and aware of what was happening.  Once we put her down, she began jumping up and down and squealing with delight.  "Snow!  Snow!  Look at the snow!"  She was very excited.  As a native Texan, she was very unfamiliar with this foreign white stuff falling from the sky.  I was surprised she even knew what it was.   

It was a very simple thing that got her excited.  

It is amazing the things that get children excited.  

She gets excited when she sees a playground.  It is very hard to keep her contained.  She gets excited when she sees food.  She expects it to go in her tummy immediately.  She gets excited when we sing to her.  "I want another song.  Just one more."  Of course she says this 50 times.  Haha.  She gets excited when it is time to talk to Jesus.  She enjoys her conversations with Him.  She gets excited when it is Sabbath.  "I want go church and sing songs and learn about Jesus!"  It is amazing to see her get excited about these things.

I think this is what Jesus meant when He said "Verily I say unto you, Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven."  

I want to be excited like Little Bit.  I want that joy that she has.  Now I can do without the jumping up and down and incorrect grammar, but I do want the excitement.  I don't know about you, but my goal is to enter the kingdom of Heaven.  I want to spend eternity with God.  

We should let the little things, especially the things about God, excite us.  But this is only possible By God's Amazing Grace!

Scared Silly at the Bus Stop

I had quite an adventure today.  I rode the city bus for the first time.  Ever.  In my life.

Little Bit and I left our place at about 6 this morning.  The roads were dark.  Not a whole lot of lighting.  There were actually quite a few people out at 6 in the morning.  There were joggers, walkers, dog walkers, and of course lots of drivers.

So Little Bit and I are walking along the dark road to the bus stop, which was a little less than a mile from our place.  As I am walking, I hear quick foot steps coming my way, which of course puts me on edge.  It was just a runner in a bright orange jacket.  Then there is the sound of dog footsteps.  And of course his owner.  Every time I hear a noise, I'm like "whoa", "what's that", "don't hurt me", "ahhhh".  You should have been in my head.  I am sure it was hilarious.

So we finally make it the bus stop.  I am so focused on the soon to be arriving bus that I am not aware of what is to come.  I once again hear feet pounding in my direction.  When the woman in orange is less than 2 feet away from me, I practically screamed.  I think I scared the poor woman.  She stopped running.

"Are you okay?"  She asks.

In a whining voice I replied, "Yeah, I'm ok.  I am just really nervous because I have never ridden the bus before and I am a little scared and I am not sure of what to do."

The world stops for a few seconds with the next words out of her mouth.  "Would you like me to pray with you?"

I think I finally let the air out before I answered her.  "I would love that."

The bus ride was very smooth.  Well, I am not sure I would call it a smooth ride.  But there were no kinks in the bus ride.  Little Bit laid her head on my lap and curled up beside me.  People were friendly.  Well, some of them.  The others I am not sure of, but I think it was best to keep it that way.

Overall, I had a good experience on the bus.  I had nothing to be worried about.

Haha.  Yep.  Absolutely nothing.  Didn't God tell me that already?  He said in Matthew 6:34 to not worry about tomorrow because tomorrow can worry about itself.  And in John 14:27, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Well.  I failed that test, huh?!

But the verse that really got me:  Proverbs 12:25, "An anxious heart weighs down a man, but a kind word cheers him up."  I was so anxious that I didn't even see the woman coming.  But not just her kind word, but her kind gesture cheered me up.  It took away my anxiety.  And she reminded me that God was still near even in my time of fear and anxiety.

God provided the right person at the right time to provide the right words and the right actions.  This is possible only By God's Amazing Grace.

The Unforgotten Errors

It was 1993 and I was in the 5th grade.  Thanksgiving was here, as was a rare snow/ice storm in Dallas, Texas.  Along with Thanksgiving came football.  This game was the Cowboys against the Dolphins.  I remember that game quite well, as do most people who watched it that day.

The Boys were ahead, not by much, with only a few seconds left on the clock.  The Dolphins kicked a field goal, which was then blocked by the Boys.  While they were celebrating, Leon Lett went after the ball, only to lose it and the Dolphins regained control of the ball and kicked a successful field goal for the win.

Cowboy fans were devastated.  But I remember when I went back the school the following Monday, each one of us 5th graders wrote a letter to Jimmy Johnson to let him know we still supported the Boys and how we weren't mad at Leon Lett.  I don't remember everything I wrote in my letter, but I do remember saying how I did not blame Lett for the lose.  It could have happened to anyone.  We actually received a response from Jimmy Johnson.  It was pretty awesome!

Twenty years have passed.  Yet if you Google Leon Lett, you will find this story.  He was an excellent player who made a few mistakes in the game.  But this mistake is the one that is highlighted in his career.  Nothing he can do will change it or erase it.  It is forever in the minds of the fans, players, viewers.  It has gone down in history.

His mistake will not be erased out of the books.

Nolan Ryan was one of the best pitchers on the Texas Rangers.  While he pitched for the Rangers, he had 6 shut outs and 939 strike outs.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.  And he is currently the owner of the Rangers.  But according to his stats, he has committed 90 errors over his whole career, 5 of which were in Texas. (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ryanno01.shtml)

As great of a player as Nolan Ryan was, he still has errors attached to his record in baseball.  They cannot be erased or hidden.  They are there for everyone to see.

I am a player on the team human race.  Have been for a few decades now.  My stats are being recorded in a Book in Heaven.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  But something that is amazing about my stats versus the stats of Leon Lett and Nolan Ryan:  When I repent of my errors and ask for forgiveness, they are erased from the Book.  1 John 1:9 says "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins and cleanse of all unrighteousness."

It doesn't matter how much Leon Lett and Nolan Ryan ask for forgiveness.  It doesn't matter how much they repent of their errors.  The mistakes and errors will always be listed on their stats.  Their mistakes will always be remembered in the sporting world.

But God is a forgiving and just God.  Yes, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 2:23), but God sent His only Son to die on the cross for us so that our sins can be forgiven.  So we can have eternal life (John 3:16).  "Though my sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.  Though they are like crimson, they will be like wool." Isaiah 1:18.  God will throw our sins into the depths of the sea to be forgotten (Micah 7:19).

But there is a catch.  We have to ask for our sins to be forgiven.  We have to confess our sins.  And not to just anyone.  To God.  And to whomever you have hurt/offended/sinned against.

I pray that my stats are clean in the Book and my name is written in the Book of Life.  This is only possible By God's Amazing Grace.

Chosen

All the little kids run out onto the kickball field.  The two team captains are chosen and stand on opposite sides of home plate.  Time goes by slowly for Timmy who knows the outcome already.  Timmy can't run fast or kick hard.  The two captains begin their choosing.  Each one picks one person after another, picking the fastest kids first.  Soon there are only two kids left to be chosen, one of which is Timmy.  The first team captain looks at Timmy and then at the other person and back at Timmy.  The captain chooses the other person.  With a loud groan, Timmy is chosen for the other team.  With a heavy sigh, he slowly walks over to his team.  Always the last one picked.  He knows his teammates do not want him on their team.  He knows his team would rather be short one team member than have him on their team.

Do you ever feel like this in life?  Do you ever feel like you are the last one chosen?  That no one really wants you on their team, but they chose you because they had to choose someone?  Unfortunately it happens.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  We don't have to wait to be chosen for God's team.  He has already chosen us.  There are no people chosen over someone else.  We are all equally on God's team.  It says in John 15:16, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you."

Not only has God chosen you, but you can serve a purpose on His team.  He did not just choose you because He had to.  He did not choose you because there was no one left.  He chose you because you are a valuable player on His team.  Everyone on God's team is a VIP.  You have a purpose. And He wants you on His team.

I am thankful that I am on His team because He has chosen me.  He wants me to be on His team.  He thinks I am a VIP.  I am on God's team only By God's Amazing Grace.

Peace, Be Still. For Once

It is the eve of the first day of the new school year.  The past two weeks have been...hectic...to say the least.  Walls to decorate, lessons to plan, new things to learn, parents to meet, assignments to create.  And the list goes on.  But tonight as I sit at the kitchen table contemplating the day to come, I have a sense of peace fall over me.  This is new.

Every year I have been a nervous wreck the day before school starts.  I worry if I am ready, how will my classes go, how will the kids be.  I will even worry in my sleep with night mares of the first day of school.  After six years of teaching, not much has changed.  Except this year.

I am calm.  I feel prepared.  I am excited.  I am blessed.  Yes.  I am very blessed.

Location has a lot to do with it.  But God's will has an even bigger impact on how I feel right now.

I am not calm because of something I did.  No.  It is because of what He has done for me.  He has brought me a long way.  He has placed me in a position where I am abiding in Him and fulfilling His will.  He has opened the doors to where I am now.  He has directed me to my new school.  It is because of what He has done for me that I am prepared, not nervous, and have a sense of peace.  It is because of Him that I will sleep well tonight.  Maybe even sugar plums will dance in my head.  Hmmm.

Some people wonder, "Am I following His will?"  I can't answer that for someone who is pondering that question.  But I can tell you from personal experience, when I follow God's will, I have a sense of peace about the situation.  I might start to worry about a certain aspect of it, but God immediately quiets my fears and reminds me He has it all taken care of.  He is in control.  Not me.  And we all know how I am about my control.  So listen for that still small voice.  Wait for the sense of calmness to arise.  And pray.  Above all, pray.  Ask God what He has in store for you.  He will make it clear.

One thing that I have had to learn recently is not to rely on myself.  I become a complete failure when I do that.  Rely on God.  And wait.  Yes, I said the "w" word.  You have to be patient and listen for what He has to say to you.

I am able to be calm because I know I am following His will, not mine, only By God's Amazing Grace.

Wild Goose Chase

Today was my first official day on the job.  And I was sent on a wild goose chase.  Let me explain.

We were divided up into teams of 3-4 members and sent to downtown to compete in a scavenger hunt.  Some of the tasks we had to complete were:

• Ask a stranger to give one of us a piggy back ride
• Thumb wrestle with a Police Officer
• Sit in a Police Officer's car
• Sing a sad country song to a crowd of people
• Create a human pyramid

Just about everyone of the items on the list forced us to talk to strangers.  There were very few items that were introvert friendly.

If you met me, you wouldn't believe me, but I am shy.  Especially when in large groups.  I have opened up quite a bit over the years.  But I am also very competitive.  This is obvious.  So when it comes to winning a scavenger hunt or being shy, my competitiveness defeats my shyness.

So today I stepped out of my comfort zone and talked to many a stranger.  I asked people to do things I would probably not even ask my friends to do.  All in the name of bragging rights and a prize.  The more I did it, the easier it became.  

This made me think about another task I have been given in which I might have to talk to complete strangers.  Or even to people I know quite well.  I have been asked to be a witness.  I have been asked to share the Good News.  We are all commissioned to do this in Matthew 28:18-20--"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.'"

Each of us are called to spread the Good News.  But we are not asked to do it by ourselves.  Just like I was sent out in a group to talk to complete strangers, God will be my group member.  He will go with me.  Just like I had to complete certain tasks, ask certain things, He will give me the words to say.  All I have to do is be a willing participant.  I just have to let Him speak through me.  I don't even have to use my own words.  God has given me HIS word.  I just have to allow Him to use me.  And the reward I get for letting Him do all the work through me...is much, much greater than the one I earned today.  I get to spend eternity with Him.  He is my prize.  

Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone to reach those around us.  Sometimes we have to talk to complete strangers.  And sometimes we have to talk to people much closer.  But we don't have to hid behind our own weaknesses.  God gives us the strength.  Don't let you being shy hold you back from spreading the Good News.  Don't let your fear of saying the wrong thing keep you from sharing the most important thing.  Don't let an excuse come between you and someone hearing about Jesus.  God can use you.  God can use me.  We just have to let Him.

We can share the Good News without fear, without barriers, without excuses Only By God's Amazing Grace.