It’s the little things

Recently my friend Michael was telling me his brother and sister-in-law had moved to a different state. He had gone over to help them pack and to say goodbye. Michael then told me that as he was leaving his sister-in-law handed him a small bag and said, “Just something we won’t use.” Michael didn’t open the bag until he got home but when he did he was overwhelmed with emotion and brought to tears. In the bag was a box of sweetener packets, the kind he prefers in his coffee. Though he was sure they had never had a conversation about sweeteners Michael was just then realizing that each of the countless cups of coffee he had shared at his brother and sister-in-law’s home over the years was a demonstration of love, the kind of love grand gestures and declarations can never match. In that moment Michael understood that he was welcome, wanted and thought of even when he wasn’t around, even in the aisles of the grocery store.

I’m Afraid

There are many who keep God at a distance out of fear. They may be afraid that He’ll ask them to do something they don’t want to do or send them somewhere they don’t want to go. I’ve even heard some say they’re fearful that if they get too close He’ll take them to Heaven before they’re ready. This is not God. He doesn’t want us to be afraid. He’s not asking to be our boss so He can order us around at His whim. His desire to be involved in our lives is not for His benefit at all. He completely wants what is best for us. You see God doesn’t have some need to “be first in our lives”. There’s no scorecard. We don’t end our day checking off the list: prayer – 1 hour, devotion – ½ hour, served lunch at the mission – 2 hours… slept 7 hours, dang God didn’t come in first. What He wants more than anything is to be involved in all of our life. Certainly study and prayer but also work and play. He wants to be included in our laughter just as much as in our tears. We needn’t be afraid. What He has for us is so much more than what we want for ourselves.

Here’s a great podcast that touches on this: The God Journey

Oh Crap!

I think each one of us is going to have an, “oh crap!” moment when we first get to heaven. These may even be the tears Jesus wipes away. The reason for our regret is that we will realize how much more of Him we could have experienced here.