Category Archives: Hearing from God

Stopped Short

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It’s the middle of February, and here in Michigan we are in the firm grip of winter. Tonight’s forecast is for 9 degrees, and the road in front of my house is coated with clear, crunchy ice. Though our 16” of snow has compacted itself in recent days, outside the windows it’s still a winter wonderland.

Fudge ripple beachThe beach is especially striking in winter, looking every bit like a movie set with its frozen hills and icy creek. Wild winds have blended sand and snow till the landscape resembles chocolate ripple cake batter.

Amidst all this frosty splendor I was recently amazed by a winter-time sight along a Wisconsin expressway.

Frozen mid-streamThe highway was framed by rocky cliffs that had had water gently flowing in mini-waterfall fashion. Because of low temps, the water froze mid-drop, creating striking sculptures of ice. I could hardly stay on the road for wanting to stare at these remarkable formations.

They reminded me of the way God sometimes stops us in our tracks. Maybe we’re heading in a wrong direction or making an unwise decision that will lead to no place good. In trying to spare us heartbreak or failure, he thwarts our plans in-the-now. We get frustrated and feel exactly like those icy waterfalls look: completely stuck.

Though we thought we’d been on our way to something good, changing circumstances rearrange our plans, and we get stopped short of our goals. Then, when we can’t see beyond our jammed-up present to a free-flowing future, we feel trapped. And when that happens, it’s easy to blame God:

We say, “You could have made a way for me, but you chose to stop me instead, and that makes me mad.”

The reality is that somewhere down the road, when we’re in the middle of unique circumstances we couldn’t possibly have foreseen, we’ll look back at our anger over being stopped “prematurely” and be grateful we were.

Winter timeThough we may not arrive to God’s good plan quickly, he does promise he has plans that will “prosper us and give us a hopeful future.” So, since he said it, we believe it…. even when everything around us is still frozen solid.

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and per- fect.” (Romans 12:2)

Unexpected

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Last week I blogged about Emerald’s little lost boot (Booted). She loved those boots in particular because they were just like her mama’s, but she hadn’t quite grown into them. The day the boots slipped off her feet it was snowing hard, and Emerald was being carried to the car. We didn’t notice they were gone till we were 20 miles away.

Snowy bootAt the end of that day, we’d found one of the boots buried in snow, but I was sure we wouldn’t find the other till the spring thaw.

Nelson, Birgitta, and I all searched diligently, but finally gave up, letting the little black boot go. I even stopped asking God to show us where it was, although I knew he could see it.

We kept the found boot “just in case,” but it only served to remind us of the one we’d lost. Then, lo and behold, today we found the second boot! Though I’d been in and out of my car a dozen times since it had disappeared, today for some reason I saw it. It had been in plain view all along, lying at the edge of Emerald’s car seat.

IMG_5162On one of those days I had set groceries in that car seat, and on another I’d used it to hold a stack of mail. We’d also buckled Emerald in and out of it twice. But more than that, we’d all inspected the car and especially the area around the car seat multiple times, but none of us had seen the boot.

Isn’t that sometimes the way we “find” new things in relation to our spiritual lives? We read books, listen to sermons, and attend Bible studies asking God, “Where is the answer to my question?”

But he seems silent, unwilling to reveal what we need to see. Until one day, when we least expect it, he sends a clear, concise answer.

Why the delay?

Maybe it’s because much of the time we’re moving so fast we miss what God is trying to tell us. Maybe we just aren’t ready for what he has to say until he finally opens our eyes to it. It’s also possible we think we already know how he’s going to answer us, so we can’t see his ideas for seeing our own.

But then all of a sudden, it’s right in front of us… just like Emerald’s boot.

IMG_5163Those boots are now ready for immediate use, since both have been safe and dry the entire time. The same goes for when God reveals what’s been hidden. Once he decides we’re ready, he lets us see it… and right after that we can put it to immediate use.

“I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord.” (Isaiah 45:3)

Good Ideas

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Skylar with pencilAll of my school-age grandchildren are being home schooled by their competent mothers. And as their grandma, I’m nervous about keeping up with them! These children are learning literature, history, and math at an astounding rate that will leave me behind in the not-too-distant future.

Take Skylar for example. At the age of 6 she can hold her own in a discussion of everything from past-participles to the Reformation. She’s studying Latin and can also recite which president did what. She’s learning about maps and can properly arrange the States of our country without any trouble.

IMG_2517But the other day she brought her magnet puzzle to her teacher/mommy with the USA assembled in a new way. Pointing to Florida (where she lives) she explained how she had intentionally placed it close to Michigan (where I live). “This is how I want our country to be,” she said, “so we can go right to Midgee’s house.”

That impressed me, since it means she has accurately understood that the distance in miles between us now prohibits quick get-togethers. She’s aware that traveling to Midgee’s house takes lots of time and effort, and locating closer would remedy that problem.

I like the way she thinks!

I wonder if God, as our Teacher, ever says something like that about us.

So often I feel there’s more about the Christian life that I don’t know than that I do. God has given us the Bible, our “home school textbook,” which could carry the subtitle, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Christian Life.” Jesus was our real-life example of how to live it out, but even so, I have more questions than answers.

But what if God is watching us as we try to put the pieces of scriptural wisdom together and is saying, “I like the way you think!” What an encouragement that would be!

Maybe we shouldn’t criticize ourselves too harshly for not always living up to Jesus’ example. It might be wiser to think about God’s encouragement for us to simply keep on learning and growing.

Skylar GraceThere may be only one correct way to arrange the States of our Union, but when Skylar moved them around a bit, she was learning other things, like the distance between two points. More importantly, she was learning that wishing for something doesn’t make it so.

As we continue studying the Bible and as we work to put it into practice, w­­e might discover all kinds of new things God wants us to know – expanded ways to think about him and our lives in relation to him. And as we move the pieces around, we might even get to hear him say, “I like the way you think!”

“The Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2 Timothy 2:7)