Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!"
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!"
- Ephesians 3:20-21
Sometimes I get tired of the chase that life can turn into - chasing after security, friendship, love, acceptance, admiration, respect, fullfilment - and I have to remind myself that God doesn't desire us to chase after anything or anyone but Him. In chasing Him, we keep our focus on His desires, not our own, and I have found that in keeping that my top priority, all of those things I desired end up either losing their importance or they fall into my lap when I least expect it, like a gift, and more than that: God has a way of giving me things, relationships, and character traits that far exceeded anything that I could have dreamed of for myself. That is what God desires for you, too.
This morning I cleaned house while my four year old played outside, the sliding door open so that I could keep an eye and ear on her. As I busied myself with laundry and dusting, I could hear her singing and chatting to herself.... and then, the sound mothers everywhere dread: silence.
I poked my head outside and what I saw was beautiful: my little one, wearing her PJ's and a princess tutu and tiara, biting her lip, brows furrowed in concentration, sitting in the middle of my yellow bell bushes. Four or five butterflies flitted above her, drawn by the irresistible nectar of the huge yellow blooms, and there she sat, very still, with both her hands outstretched together, forming a cup.
I tilted my head in wonder... what was she doing?... but I stayed quiet, caught in this silent moment with her. Suddenly the dryer buzzer went off and I went back to my chores, but within a few minutes, I heard the pitter-patter of toddler feet and knew my little fairy had returned.
Over lunch I asked her "So, what were you doing in the yellow bell bushes today?"
"I was catching butterflies, I love them."
Hmmmm... "Well, did you catch any?"
"Not this time - sometimes I don't get any,.. but sometimes I do, mama, and they are so beautiful!"
I smiled at my butterfly hunter, sweeping hair back from her forehead and told her, "I saw you sitting very still in the bushes... what was that about? You should chase them to catch them."
She giggled, covering her mouth with her hands, "That's not the way you catch them, mama - you can't chase them, you have to be still."
What wisdom! My little one loves butterflies more than anything, and she had learned that the best way to interact with them was to be still, to wait and let them come.
I encourage you to do the same. How weary are you of running, grasping, striving? How successful are you at keeping it once you do get close?... and is it ever enough?
Stop the chase, put your eyes on Christ, look to Him alone, be still and trust Him with your future, your security, your relationships. Instead of tiring yourself out striving to make everything "right" - rest in His presence, reach your hands out to receive, and let Him bring to you the dreams you have and more, in His timing and in His way.
I encourage you to do the same. How weary are you of running, grasping, striving? How successful are you at keeping it once you do get close?... and is it ever enough?
Stop the chase, put your eyes on Christ, look to Him alone, be still and trust Him with your future, your security, your relationships. Instead of tiring yourself out striving to make everything "right" - rest in His presence, reach your hands out to receive, and let Him bring to you the dreams you have and more, in His timing and in His way.
Yes, there will be times when you will feel like the wait is long, and maybe there will be times when God says "no" - but in Christ there are far more "yes"s than when we flounder about trying to chase down the answers on our own.
