One of those weeks...

"You have granted me life and favor, and your providence has PRESERVED my SPIRIT." Job 10:12

A few nights ago a friend locked his keys in his car.  Someone suggested a crow bar, someone else responded to the incident by generously offering their Triple A card.  Most of us continued to watch the NBA Finals.  But in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Onel returned into the house, with keys in hand to round up the kids to head home.  That was fast.  Either the crow bar took the entire door off or was used to break a window with intentions of going Dukes of Hazard style or Triple A was hustling more than the Miami Heat happened to be that night...because WOW... that was fast. But it was neither. Onel chuckled and explained that our other friend Josh went out to the car, prayed that it would open and with the gentle pull of the door handle it opened! The Lord intervened in one of those hum drum annoying situations of life and proved once again that He's willing and wanting to take care of the big things and the little things in life. 


I of course was stoked...and kind of jokingly said, "Josh, I've got a few things you can pray for. "  Everyone laughed...but the more I got thinking about it...what a lesson to be learned.  Why in our humanness, our small unexpecting minds do our independent spirits rise up and we try to be our own first line of defense?  We try to take care of things ourselves. We try to fix things, mend things, repair things...whether they be a broken ice maker or a broken heart.  Don't get me wrong...we've been given the ability to use our God-given minds to think through and take care of situations, and of course He lives inside us and asks us to support and love one another through tough times...but it really got me thinking about whether or not I've been putting on the armor (Ephesians 6:10-17) that the Lord has provided me with and asked him to be the bearer of my heavy load. Or have I been aimlessly trudging through the battle ground called life, armor less...just dodging every landmine possible? Quickly this question was put to the test...


It's been one of those weeks...one of those weeks where your patience is tested, your positive attitude is stretched till it feels like it can't be stretched anymore and you are hit square between the eyes with the question of, "Will I rise above the little things?" For instance, we've officially made one of our spare rooms our "summer home" because our bedroom in the attic is an actual sauna...walk up 2 stairs and you are standing in a pool of your own sweat.  We obviously need to have some air conditioning rigged up somehow in those cute, quaint, but totally impractical windows in our bedroom...annoying when you are not handy and can't just do it yourself.  As well this week, my car decided to blow a belt, my ice maker kicked the bucket, the sub pump in the basement stopped working which caused flooding, the electricity went out, my cat peed on the couch twice, and someones little fingers decided to pull the keys off my computer.  FABULOUS...all of it just fabulous!  It's one of those weeks where you feel like if you turn around to one more little mishap you may be driven to tears (because a few have already leaked once or twice).


But this is life...and truly these have been just little things...but remember God wants to meet us in ALL things, big or small. He wants to meet us....that means we need to make time for Him. If a friend wants to meet we'll jump in our car and head straight to FIVEBUCKS... I mean STARBUCKS. But sometimes when God wants to meet we have another load of laundry to do, or an e-mail to answer or a cat to kill (kidding...just pee to clean up :)  My brother shared a few weeks ago a quote that read, "Praying and reading God's word may or may not strengthen you. BUT talking to GOD and meditating on His word will ALWAYS strengthen you."    How true.  We so often look at each other's lives and jump to conclusions, many times assuming things are just "perfect" for someone else, because as they say the "grass is always greener on the other side".  And even as frustrated as I get with those that like to constantly make their life mishaps news worthy across Facebook the fact of the matter is life happens to all of us.  It's how we handle it that makes all the difference.  Will we go to God first? Have I talked to Him about the big things and the little things?  Have I let His word be my guide and my strength? 


So I believe I made it quite obvious that my life's not perfect.  There's a laundry list of things I could have done without this week... and just like you I have some of those "big" things too- those unanswered prayers...those tough questions, but put HIM on the front lines of those battles as well. Armor up...meet Him and let Him give you the game plan, and know like the verse in Job says, He will give you life, He will give you favor, and my favorite part HIS PROVIDENCE, His ways, WILL PRESERVE your spirit.  No one's life is perfect, but every one's life does have purpose...and believe it or not all those little imperfections tend to play their part in our purpose.  The imperfections do not define us, but they do spur us on to greater heights as we RISE above them. Take an airplane for instance... it's critical for the plane to be "pressurized" in order to fly at high altitudes...just as life's pressures give us the opportunity to soar as well. So while the water dries up in the basement and the Gorilla Glue works it's magic on the keys of the computer...take every thought captive and bring your mind back to the greater things and how HE uses EVERYTHING according to His purpose. 


...and while being thankful in all circumstances... a friend suggested that after this week I consider, getting a horse, using ice trays, creating an indoor swimming pool in my basement, saving on the electric bill and going "Amish style", and throwing the cat and the couch in the garbage. Hmmm...