Get a Grip

Holding the hand of Jesus has a least three immediate benefits: 1) I can never stray far away. I may step into something along the way or stumble over a rough spot on the path, but  I can not walk into a death trap on a divergent trail. 2) When, not if, I stumble, He keeps me from falling and is is able to pull me to prevent me from stepping into any smelly filth. 3) When the darkness of night, the fog, or even the blinding glare of the full sun and sweat in my eyes prevent me from seeing or seeing clearly, I am comforted by His hand in mine as a reminder that I am not alone and do not need to worry about safety or directions. Consequently, with these there immediate benefits, I do not need to consider the possibility of taking a shortcut to reach the vision, desires, and hopes that the Lord has laid on my heart.

With no need for shortcuts, I do not ignore problems or deny real difficulties, but rather simply choose NOT to worry since worry is a CHOICE. Trust in Jesus is always the appropriate response. My worrying changes absolutely nothing! My praying changes everything, beginning with me. So, thank you Jesus in advance for what you bring into my life today. This is Your path for me at THIS time. Trying to take a shortcut to avoid any pain would mean missing a valuable lesson. As I get a good grip on Your hand, I also get a grip on life.

HE and me

Reading through Psalm 18 today, I was struck afresh by God's personal intervention into the lives of people. Even though King David is writing about his own experience with YHWH, the LORD, the truth described therein is applicable to every child of God. I saw in this psalm the He/me connection in a new way today...

HE reached down to ME, a reminder that my actual position is much "lower" than I like to think because of my delusions of grandeur. HE rescued ME, a reminder that my condition is often much more critical than my perception or, even if I recognize the seriousness of my situation, beyond my ability to extricate myself from the crisis. HE brought ME into a spacious place, a reminder that when the infinite God of the universe is leading, the destination will always be better than my finite scope and hope. HE delighted in ME, a reminder that God does not view me with impatient disdain because of my flaws and failings. Because my identity is in Jesus Christ, His banner over me is love. When God looks at me He delights because He sees the joy of His salvation.

This truth reminds me of my own experiences with my kids. There are few things that delighted me more than to see the reactions of my kids when they received a gift that they truly appreciated. It did not have to be a gift of great monetary value, but if it was something that they either needed or wanted, their thankfulness for something they did not deserve or necessarily expect, the overflow of their internal exuberance could not be contained. Everything was about the relationship. My delight in them was not based on their standard of performance in school, doing chores, or any other external behavior... it was simply the heart-felt acknowledgment of me giving from the heart and them receiving from the heart.

Psalm 18:25-26 summarizes how there can be such different perceptions of God. Those who are faithful, blameless, and pure (or who are positionally so because of Christ's righteousness imputed to us) see those characteristics when they look to God. Similarly, those who are crooked will have a perception (incorrect though it may be) of God as being crooked. From this, I see that anyone who looks upon God in a negative light is only projecting the negative characteristic of their own life and their personal shortcomings. May I daily delight in God's grace because, in spite of myself, HE love ME!