We need those circumstances

Open my eyes so that I can see all the wonderful things in your teachings. (Psalm 119:18)

Most of the time, the main thing we need in life is to see things just a bit clearer. We have a general idea of what may be happening, or where we may be headed, but we seldom see the bigger picture of all that will be involved as we get from here to there. We need eyes opened, hearts prepared, minds cleared of certain expectations, and a willingness to move forward. There is no greater thing we can seek than to ask God to do just that in our lives!

The teachings of today may not amount to 'the whole deal', but they will add to the ones from yesterday, preparing us for the ones tomorrow will bring, but we need to be patient as God unfolds them to us. When things unfold just a little bit here and there for us, we can get a little impatient waiting for the final reveal, can't we? What happens when we set out on a journey? We have a destination in mind, don't we? We 'sort of' know where we are going, have 'tentative' plans to do this or that, and 'dream' of some encounter that might occur. Does all that we knew, planned, or dreamed come to pass? Not always.

What we are doing when we ask God to open our eyes to the things he wants to teach us is acknowledge that we don't 'own the moment' - he does! We just live in it, making the most of it, learning what we can from it, and taking that learning into the next. Line upon line, precept upon precept, our learning is built upon. Our dreams our expanded, our plans fall away as he exposes bigger ones he has for us, and we begin to realize what we thought we knew from the beginning was a pittance compared to what he wants to show us right now.

His teachings aren't limited to the words on the pages of our Bibles. Yes, they are the start of many a great lesson for us, but as when those lessons are taught through circumstances or 'moments with him', they are expanded upon until we come to understand the purpose within the lesson. We need that expansiveness of learning, don't we? We crave it! The next time you are going through a circumstance, you may just want to ask God what the lesson is within it. He is sure to show you how he has prepared you for the moment. Just sayin!

We want the I AM to instruct us

The Lord, the Savior, the Holy One of Israel, says, “I am the Lord your God. I teach you for your own good. I lead you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17)

I teach you for your own good - if we are honest here, we all need a little more of his 'instruction' than we have embraced! We might be 'hearing' his teachings, but are we allowing those words to have a deep and meaningful effect in our lives? It isn't just some random preacher teaching us - it is the "I AM". The self-sufficient, self-sustaining God - the one who was and who always is - he is the one doing the teaching. Are we listening?

"I AM" is the Lord our God. He sustains us when we don't have the wherewithal to sustain ourselves. He is the one who is not dependent upon anyone else - he has been, will always be, and is right now. All manner of 'distraction' exists for us - things or individuals we might want to elevate to the place of a 'god' in our lives, but they can never boast that they have been, will always be, or are right now what they have always been. Any other source of 'leadership' in our lives will never measure up to his!

When God declares "I AM", he is declaring himself as one who desires to be known - to be in relationship with those he created. No wonder he tells us he is the one who teaches us for 'our own good'. Who would know best what we need in our lives than the one who created that life? Teaching begins with hearing the one who is instructing, but it continues when we are led in the way that teaching leads. The 'way we should go' is sometimes not as clear to us as it should be, but the "I AM" is teaching, so we only need to listen!

"I AM" is the one who is our God. We might not realize his instruction is actually happening in our lives, but he uses every opportunity to reveal something about himself we need to realize. He also uses those same opportunities to reveal something about OURSELVES that we need to realize. Whatever he reveals is worth our attention. We are often set free when we finally see what we have worked so hard to ignore or cover up within ourselves. Who better to reveal those things than the "I AM"? Just askin!

Do everything?

But Noah pleased the Lord. This is the history of Noah’s family. He was a good man all his life, and he always followed God. Noah did everything God commanded him. (Genesis 6:8-9, 22)

Down through the years, some have asked why they needed to invite God into their lives, touting that they were living 'good lives' - trying their best to make good decisions, not lie or cheat, and generally doing good. The truth is that 'good deeds' are great, but 'good deeds' aren't always the result of a good heart. The heart is deceitful - it is inclined toward sinful choices. What God desires is our obedience. If we never invite Jesus into our lives, never give him access to our heart, our heart will continue to be inclined toward sin. We need his grace to change our hearts so that ALL the works that stem from our hearts are truly 'good'.

Yesterday, we discussed that Noah walked with God. One of the most 'telling' parts of his life's testimony is that he is listening to what God is telling him to do and then obediently carrying out what God asks. Even in the face of great opposition, his obedience didn't waver. God told him to make an ark and to cover inside and out with pitch, using specific measurements and then to 'board' all the animals two-by-two. ALL that God had commanded him he did. From the building to the boarding of the ark; from the time sailing through the storms until the earth dried up; from the door opening to the life 'after the flood' - he was obedient.

What's probably most amazing to me is that Noah didn’t complain about the things that were hard for him to understand. He didn’t question God's actions, nor his purposes - he just did what God told him to do, trusting him all the while. Maybe the reason God called Noah "Good' was his unwavering obedience to ALL God asked. We never know what God's 'tasks' will be for each of us, but when they are revealed to us, we have one of two choices - do what God asks or choose our own plan. The one who consistently does as God asks will be 'kept safe' even when the storms of life come. It isn't just 'good works' we endeavor to perform - it is seeking a 'good heart' that pleases God. The only way to a 'good heart' is through the grace given when we invite Jesus to forgive us of our sins and be the ruler of our lives. Just sayin!

Lulled?

Those who learn from the lessons of life will join the others who are wise. Those who disregard discipline sabotage themselves, but those who are open to correction gain understanding. Reverence for the Eternal is the first lesson of wisdom, and humility always precedes honor. (Proverbs 15:31-33)

"You were given this life because you were strong enough to live it." (Author Unknown)

We don't receive lessons in this life through osmosis, but because we walk through them and learn from them. Someone might think they were given the life they were given because only THEY could live up to the challenge. The challenge wasn't given to you because you had the strength, it was given to you to reveal the strength the Almighty would give you to walk through it. We call it life and it comes at us at extraordinary speeds on occasion. The lessons of life will lure us in like a slow, lazy river gives us the sense all will be peaceful as we launch out only to find it takes us straight into the roaring rapids of chaos! Most of us want the lazy river kind of lessons - the ones we learn by laying back, luxuriating in the beauty of the moments which pass, and the sounds of peaceful breezes coming through the trees. We might get a little curious when we begin to hear the rapids in the far-off distance, but we still don't connect those sounds with the river until our raft begins to rock a little, picking up speed, and we begin to wonder a little, but we are still not stirred enough to make course corrections. Yet, when the full-on rapids begin to jerk us back and forth, tossing all manner of cool spray into our faces, and the horror of the moment grips our emotions, we somehow begin to pay attention!

The wise don't avoid the river altogether - they learn to navigate it because they don't allow it to lull them into repose and stupor. They remain attentive to the sounds of the journey, for the subtle changes only catch a listening ear - they alert them to course corrections long before they become "necessary". They enjoy the journey not because it is without challenges, but because each challenge reveals a new opportunity to embrace life and learn what is revealed in the moment. There are those who regard discipline as "control" - either that which you exert in the moment, or that which is imposed upon you at the time. Did you know the word "discipline" can be translated "education". To learn is to live a disciplined life - a "discipled" life. The followers of Jesus were asked to do more than just "float the river" with him. They were asked to "learn of him" - to engage in life with him, actively participating in the journey. We learn the greatest lessons when we actually participate in them.

Disciples (disciplined individuals) actually exhibit two very important character traits: 1) development and 2) preparation. Preparation involves time - time spent "getting ready". A baby is in the womb for how many months? Nine, if they are full-term. What is happening during that time? The baby is developing - getting ready to be born. Born too early and it needs all manner of artificial support, because it wasn't intended to live outside the womb that early on its own. What happens to the parents during the time the baby is in the womb? They are preparing for that which is developing within! They are making adjustments to their lives in order to be ready for the new life about to become part of theirs for a long, long time. The room is set up, the seat is installed in the car which will ensure the baby is secure for whatever journey they will take together, and the clothes are amassed which will keep that infant warm as it slumbers through nap times galore. Sometimes they actually make life corrections, such as beginning to save money, knowing the time has come to change how much they spend on only themselves, as another is coming who will count on them to provide for their needs. They are learning - preparing and developing.

As we go through life, it isn't the challenge which actually prepares and develops us, but the one who walks us up to the challenge, then continues to walk with us throughout it! He prepares us in the quiet, lazy river moments, only if we are attentive to his lessons. He strengthens us and takes us into the "advanced lessons" of life in the rapids, but he never abandons us upon the waters - ever! Just sayin!

Happy?

Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy. (James 1:22-25)

How many times did you have to be told something as a kid? Mom would ask me to do something, and I might not want to do it, but if I didn't act upon it the first time she asked, there was no asking a second time! Some of you know exactly what I mean. Obedience was expected, the first time, without hesitation. Is it to be any different with God? There are times he asks for us to do something very specifically, but we hesitate. Why is that? It could be that we think the thing he requires of us is just a bit too hard - like consistently reading the Word each day or beginning to tithe faithfully. I have found that when we finally do take the steps of obedience he requires, what we feared the most about taking those steps wasn't really all that bad. Obedience doesn't have to be 'burdensome' or 'harder than we'd like' - it can actually be quite rewarding.

If we examine our passage closely, we will observe there is a state of emotional well-being that is the result of obedience. Doing what God asks results in freedom - freedom brings a sense of emotional 'happiness' that we might just be missing out on if we are dragging our feet about something God is asking for us to do. One might think they could ignore God's requests, but there is a definite 'rub' that comes when there is indifference to his teachings. When we actually allow his teachings to permeate our minds, our will begins to change and that actually affects our emotional status. If we are a bit too 'on edge', angry all the time, disappointed in ourselves or others almost continually, we might do well to ask God if there is some area of our life that he has asked for obedience in and we haven't responded to that request.

Obedience isn't optional, but it is up to us to actually take those steps toward whatever it is God is asking of us. We might not believe 'freedom' or 'emotional well-being' will be the result of our steps, but when those steps are taken because God asks them of us, the end result will be good. Just sayin!

Hope in the midst of dryness

Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don’t live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth. Your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. (Deuteronomy 8: 2-5)

Remembering means that we go through a process of thinking of something again and again. In the process, we bring our attention to something we want to be aware of - bringing what exists in the unconscious mind back into the conscious mind. I remember my first "solo" bike ride - but mostly because I have scars to show for it! I remember the birth of my two children, but not every excruciating moment! I recall the meal I had for dinner last night - but it carries no significance to me. There are times when we remember stuff in a way that is not the actual way things "went down". We have "fabricated" our own "truth" of the event in the memory. If you have ever been on a mountain-top experience for a while, you likely have some pretty fond memories of those moments in time. On the other hand, if you have also endured the dryness of the desert times on your way to the mountain-top, you might just have some pretty significant memories of those experiences which almost did you in.

Every road is the opportunity for a memory. Every desert experience is a moment in time when God directed his attention toward something in us which needed to get exposed - some good, some not so much. In the dryness and barrenness of the desert, what we really have deep in our hearts just seems to get revealed. The desert has a way of magnifying what is really buried deep within. Maybe this is the purpose of the desert - so our hearts get some time to reveal their true selves! Probably the most significant part of our memories is "what" we hold onto from these experiences. The tidbits of truth, moments of hope, revealed truths - we don't hold onto the "entirety" of the desert experience in our memory, just the memorable moments. Some might refer to these as those "teachable" moments. Others call them their "AHA" moments. Whatever you may call them, they are the times when something of significant revelation occurred. A part of you was revealed - God enlightened you to not only yourself, but to his grace to change that part into what he actually envisioned for us. These are the moments we create a "memory" about because they speak to us of the growth produced even in the barren places of our lives.

Most don't recall the tests of obedience, yet the desert is full of them. In the midst of the desert, God is calling for some element of obedient response from us. We usually hold onto the "results" of the steps of obedience but forget the actual moments of distress which brought the revelation of where our obedience was being called for. We don't think about "how" we got from step A to step B - we just know we got there! I think God instructed Israel to remember ALL the roads they traveled in the desert because each had a significance in their overall growth. In the midst of the test, there is a whole lot of silence. The desert provides silence. Why? To give you time to process your thought - to bring into your conscious mind what has been stored away in your unconscious mind.  You don't see or hear much, but you become very conscious of what is working in your mind! I think this is important for us to recognize because we sometimes think God isn't in the desert, but really, he is just giving us time to realize what we already know! The desert just brings it to the surface a little clearer! The desert has a way of bringing out the fruit. You might not think this possible because you only see the barrenness, sense the quietness, and resist the "heat" of the desert experience. In the midst of the desert, God is showing us what matters - what we can hold onto. So, rather than resist the "dryness", maybe it is time to allow it to bring out what we already know, but maybe haven't brought into the forefront of our memory in a while! Just sayin!