"Life is more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party."-Jimmy Buffett.
As dangerous as this is, I am about to spiritualize a Jimmy Buffett quote. Lord help us all.
In a scavenger hunt, you find things out and keep going. Keep moving on to the next area. You do not give up until the end, right? Right.
About three years ago, I joined a ministry team at my college church. My pastor gave each of us a book. A book that he was headstrong would be a good tool for any person in ministry to read. The book was called Humility by C.J.Mahaney.
I put it on my bookshelf and decided it would be a good book for a rainy day.
When you don't feel like you need to read a book titled HUMILITY...that should be the first sign that you should be highlighting the pages in that book.
I never read it.
In fact, it is currently sitting on my bookshelf in Atlanta. I know exactly which shelf.
Well my college church sent me a package for Christmas this year. Inside of the package were some encouraging books. One of which was Humility by C.J.Mahaney. I now have two copies.
I'm starting to pick up the subtle clues, God.
I brought the book with me as I traveled throughout the holidays. Still didn't open it.
Hear me, my ecstasy is reading. So this is very unusual for me.
Well this past week, I finally decided I was going to set whatever pride it was keeping me from touching the book and begin to read it.
It is an easy read in the sense that it is super short. But it is a hard, hard, read in the sense that it will convict you of things you didn't even know existed in your heart.
One thing that stood out to me was the re-telling of Jesus and the disciples on the way to Jerusalem before the crucifixion. In Mark chapter 10 verse 32 it says that Jesus was "walking ahead of them."
He was leading the way. He was leading the way to His death.
"Relentlessly He proceeds to a place where He'll be betrayed and arrested, where He'll be accused and condemned, where He'll be mocked and spit upon and flogged and ultimately executed.
And there's no hesitation, no reluctance in His steps."
He is even LEADING the way.
This is just too much for me to comprehend. I would completely applaud Him even if He straggled behind on this trip. Even if He wanted to stop and take a rest. But He leads the way!? Just what.
In a scavenger hunt you just keep going, keep moving forward. Many times you may even like to lead the way. And you certainly don't give up.
When hard times come in my life, fleshly it only makes sense to give up. Run.
God gently sits down beside me and says "Lydia. Sweet girl. None of this is a surprise party to me. I ordained and orchestrated it for the better of yourself. Trust me. Let me lead the way. I'm not taken off guard. And I'm bigger than this anyway."
And then He hugs me. God is a hugger. Just don't argue that, He just has to be. No doubt in my mind even though I can't back that up.
Wherever you find yourself today, whether it be deciding if you should place your mom in a nursing home, or what College you want to attend, if you should be allowed out on parole...whatever it is...know that God is already leading the way and that this is not a surprise party. It's a scavenger hunt, you just keep finding out more things along the way but you don't give up. And the best part is that it is all for His glory. It may not feel like it at the time but it completely is. Who would ever think that crucifying their own son would be for a greater purpose? God. And it wasn't a surprise.
Again, in the words of Jimmy Buffett:
"Life is more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party."
As dangerous as this is, I am about to spiritualize a Jimmy Buffett quote. Lord help us all.
In a scavenger hunt, you find things out and keep going. Keep moving on to the next area. You do not give up until the end, right? Right.
About three years ago, I joined a ministry team at my college church. My pastor gave each of us a book. A book that he was headstrong would be a good tool for any person in ministry to read. The book was called Humility by C.J.Mahaney.
I put it on my bookshelf and decided it would be a good book for a rainy day.
When you don't feel like you need to read a book titled HUMILITY...that should be the first sign that you should be highlighting the pages in that book.
I never read it.
In fact, it is currently sitting on my bookshelf in Atlanta. I know exactly which shelf.
Well my college church sent me a package for Christmas this year. Inside of the package were some encouraging books. One of which was Humility by C.J.Mahaney. I now have two copies.
I'm starting to pick up the subtle clues, God.
I brought the book with me as I traveled throughout the holidays. Still didn't open it.
Hear me, my ecstasy is reading. So this is very unusual for me.
Well this past week, I finally decided I was going to set whatever pride it was keeping me from touching the book and begin to read it.
It is an easy read in the sense that it is super short. But it is a hard, hard, read in the sense that it will convict you of things you didn't even know existed in your heart.
One thing that stood out to me was the re-telling of Jesus and the disciples on the way to Jerusalem before the crucifixion. In Mark chapter 10 verse 32 it says that Jesus was "walking ahead of them."
He was leading the way. He was leading the way to His death.
"Relentlessly He proceeds to a place where He'll be betrayed and arrested, where He'll be accused and condemned, where He'll be mocked and spit upon and flogged and ultimately executed.
And there's no hesitation, no reluctance in His steps."
He is even LEADING the way.
This is just too much for me to comprehend. I would completely applaud Him even if He straggled behind on this trip. Even if He wanted to stop and take a rest. But He leads the way!? Just what.
In a scavenger hunt you just keep going, keep moving forward. Many times you may even like to lead the way. And you certainly don't give up.
When hard times come in my life, fleshly it only makes sense to give up. Run.
God gently sits down beside me and says "Lydia. Sweet girl. None of this is a surprise party to me. I ordained and orchestrated it for the better of yourself. Trust me. Let me lead the way. I'm not taken off guard. And I'm bigger than this anyway."
And then He hugs me. God is a hugger. Just don't argue that, He just has to be. No doubt in my mind even though I can't back that up.
Wherever you find yourself today, whether it be deciding if you should place your mom in a nursing home, or what College you want to attend, if you should be allowed out on parole...whatever it is...know that God is already leading the way and that this is not a surprise party. It's a scavenger hunt, you just keep finding out more things along the way but you don't give up. And the best part is that it is all for His glory. It may not feel like it at the time but it completely is. Who would ever think that crucifying their own son would be for a greater purpose? God. And it wasn't a surprise.
Again, in the words of Jimmy Buffett:
"Life is more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party."
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