Helicopter View…
some notes, from a recent living room conversation
—sc
It is so critical to remember that life isn’t supposed to be “fun!” This little ball of mud we live on is kind of like a Ramada Inn. Our span of time on this planet is just like a few weeks checked in at the Ramada. And the rest of our billion years is determined by what we do in these few weeks. All that matters in this little stint at the Ramada Inn is finding WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN MY LIFE and lining up with that. What does HE WANT TO DO in terms of my character and my knowing Him and life in Him and fruitfulness in Him. It doesn’t matter if the “few weeks” here turns out fun or not, hard or not. We’ve only got a few weeks at the Ramada Inn and what matters is GOD GETTING WHAT HE WANTS.
Remember we’ve also talked recently about life being like “boot camp.” If you talk to somebody who’s gone through boot camp—nobody ever says, “Yeah, that was fun, most fun I’ve ever had!” No, it was HARD. It was hard work and long hours and lots of life and death learning crammed into just a few weeks’ time..….but it was worth it!!!!
Sometimes it helps to think about God’s People in the past. At one point in human history, the reward for being a child of Abraham was 400 years of slavery! What if we were children of Israel living in Egypt after only the first 100 years of slavery?? And all our future is about is 300 more years of slavery and then a LONG time down the road a bunch of people get to benefit from it?? What if that was the few weeks we had been dealt?? What would our life be about?? Making bricks—that’s it! Or making bricks faster so we don’t get beaten. We’d have the choice of making bricks and turning bitter and complaining and whining or getting depressed about that and turning away from God and hurting those around us w/our pain and selfishness. OR we could just make bricks and try to have a good time (probably not!) and try to avoid getting too many beatings. OR we’d have the choice to make bricks and trust God and turn to Him and worship Him and get to know Him and allow our character to be changed and learn to care for those around us and help them get to know Him. Some of those Israelites will be at the party when it’s all over. Some of them won’t.
Or what if you were Corrie Ten Boom. We’ve all been inspired by her life and testimony at some point along the way. But do you think any of us would have ever even heard of her if she HADN’T been put in a concentration camp!??! Who would ever wish that on someone?? But God knew there’s something about all that—all the pain and fire—that would refine her and bring to the surface something in her that would serve His purposes and could benefit MANY. While we would never wish those kinds of hard things on ourselves or others, GOD knows that we all learn by a combination of revelation and by fire—nobody learns completely by revelation. So sometimes He brings more pressure, and fire, and pain than our current situations provide—so that He can get what HE WANTS from EVERY ONE of our lives. And those who truly love Him WANT to see what He would have us do with regard to breaking our lives so that His Spirit can be revealed.
So the making bricks here or not making bricks doesn’t really matter much. Whether we end up in a concentration camp or not doesn’t REALLY matter! ALL that matters—whatever our circumstances, wherever we live, whatever kind of Ramada Inn we get to go to—ALL that matters is finding God and letting Him have His way with us. That’s what this few weeks is about. Will I be somebody who will fall in love with Jesus??!! Will I be somebody who lets God get the absolute MOST out of my life? Will I be somebody who turns to Him and chooses Him EVERY TIME?? Whether by trial, or fire, or revelation?? No matter how hard it is? Now matter how bad it hurts? No matter how NOT OKAY i feel and everything else seems??
Or do I just want to get cozy at the Ramada Inn and just enjoy the vacation? I just want to see the sights. I want to have some fun. I want to avoid the hard places, the ugly places, the WORK places and just hang out in the sunny spots, the leisure spots?? And TOTALLY MISS GOD ?? For THAT ?? No way do I want to miss a SECOND with God, for the sake of flesh and “fun” and a false “comfort” !!
9/15/2004
