Reason #82
I stood in the kitchen making myself a gourmet dinner that consisted of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on my grandmother's home-made bread and a big glass of peach tea. And I was frustrated. Frustrated for so many little reasons. Insignificant reasons that were just piling up and I was frustrated. Most of all, I was frustrated because I was letting my feelings control me. I was frustrated about a situation that I have no control over. So I turned up the music and as I buttered my bread, I just told Him. I said, "Father, I know you are testing me. You have been teaching me so much lately, and I know you are checking to see if I am understanding it. Does my heart believe what my lips utter? I get it. But I'm sick of learning. I think I've been taught enough to last me for while. I'm tired of being tested."
I grabbed a cup and went over to get ice from the refrigerator. Now, my dog, Scout, loves ice. Anytime I press down the button to get ice, she comes running to the kitchen. Her little ears can hear the ice falling into a cup no matter where she is in the house, back yard included. She stood there next to me patiently looking up, those big brown eyes begging for and anxiously anticipating a little ice chip. I reached into my cup and held out a piece for her. She gladly took it, ate it, and then looked back up at me. She knows that I normally give her more than one piece, so she just stood there and waited. I reached back into my cup and pulled out another piece to give to her. And another, and another, and finally one last piece. That's enough for now. She would have eaten the whole cup had I kept giving her ice, but she doesn't need a cup. Plus, I'll give her more ice again. This won't be the last time. I enjoy giving her ice because she just loves it so much. Simple ice. Something that is easy for me to get and give. Scout can't reach the refrigerator to get her own ice, so she looks to me to give it to her. She never tries to get her own, rather she waits until she hears it falling and then she shows up ready to receive. She gladly receives what ever comes from my hand, one piece or ten.
And as I stood there, feeding my dog ice, He taught me another lesson, and I quickly learned that I'm not through learning. I'm always going to need to be taught. But what a good, patient, loving teacher I have! How thankful I am that He gently reminds me rather than scolding me for being so forgetful.
I know I need to look to His hands to receive. We pray "give us this day, our daily bread," because He gives us what we need for today. So we eat today's bread and then we go back tomorrow to get that day's bread. Sounds simple. Easier said that done. Sometimes, I hoard the bread and sometimes I try to take tomorrow's bread today. There are even days that I try to stretch my daily bread out so that it will last longer. And this is where the frustration starts. I look to myself, to others, to receive. I look to their hands, my hands, to give me what I need, what I'd like. But what hands can give better than the nail pierced hands that hold everything in them? I forget that and I look to my empty, powerless hands. Sinful, selfish hands that seek self first. Then, I'm quickly reminded of my inadequacies when those powerful hands open up and give me an incredible blessing. I stand there, staring with my big blue eyes, looking up and anxiously waiting for more. And He bends down and more blessings come from His hands and I gobble them up. I continue to wait and receive and He finally says, "Okay, that's enough for this moment." But I'm not willing to wait patiently until He's ready to give again. No, I want them all...now. So I think I am capable of continuing the giving myself. Rather than waiting again for those sweet hands to offer me another blessing, I start trying to figure out how to get whatever else might be possibly waiting for me in those Hands. How can I get them? How can I figure out what they are? The thing is, I don't know when those hands are going to open. I don't know when He will offer down another blessing, but the the reason I don't know that is because I haven't tuned my ears to listen for them, to show up ready to receive. So often I miss them because I'm busy figuring out ways to try and bless myself, which ultimately leads to empty, unfulfilled disappointments.
So He reminds me with a cup of ice and a small, anxious dog ready to receive from the hand of her master who loves her. My Master, my King, reminds this small, frazzled girl that He loves her and He stands ready to give her blessings from His hands until her "cup runneth over" if only she'll look to Him and show up ready to receive.
#82 - Because He stands ready to give when I look to Him to receive.
"Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks." - 1 Timothy 4:4
I grabbed a cup and went over to get ice from the refrigerator. Now, my dog, Scout, loves ice. Anytime I press down the button to get ice, she comes running to the kitchen. Her little ears can hear the ice falling into a cup no matter where she is in the house, back yard included. She stood there next to me patiently looking up, those big brown eyes begging for and anxiously anticipating a little ice chip. I reached into my cup and held out a piece for her. She gladly took it, ate it, and then looked back up at me. She knows that I normally give her more than one piece, so she just stood there and waited. I reached back into my cup and pulled out another piece to give to her. And another, and another, and finally one last piece. That's enough for now. She would have eaten the whole cup had I kept giving her ice, but she doesn't need a cup. Plus, I'll give her more ice again. This won't be the last time. I enjoy giving her ice because she just loves it so much. Simple ice. Something that is easy for me to get and give. Scout can't reach the refrigerator to get her own ice, so she looks to me to give it to her. She never tries to get her own, rather she waits until she hears it falling and then she shows up ready to receive. She gladly receives what ever comes from my hand, one piece or ten.
And as I stood there, feeding my dog ice, He taught me another lesson, and I quickly learned that I'm not through learning. I'm always going to need to be taught. But what a good, patient, loving teacher I have! How thankful I am that He gently reminds me rather than scolding me for being so forgetful.
I know I need to look to His hands to receive. We pray "give us this day, our daily bread," because He gives us what we need for today. So we eat today's bread and then we go back tomorrow to get that day's bread. Sounds simple. Easier said that done. Sometimes, I hoard the bread and sometimes I try to take tomorrow's bread today. There are even days that I try to stretch my daily bread out so that it will last longer. And this is where the frustration starts. I look to myself, to others, to receive. I look to their hands, my hands, to give me what I need, what I'd like. But what hands can give better than the nail pierced hands that hold everything in them? I forget that and I look to my empty, powerless hands. Sinful, selfish hands that seek self first. Then, I'm quickly reminded of my inadequacies when those powerful hands open up and give me an incredible blessing. I stand there, staring with my big blue eyes, looking up and anxiously waiting for more. And He bends down and more blessings come from His hands and I gobble them up. I continue to wait and receive and He finally says, "Okay, that's enough for this moment." But I'm not willing to wait patiently until He's ready to give again. No, I want them all...now. So I think I am capable of continuing the giving myself. Rather than waiting again for those sweet hands to offer me another blessing, I start trying to figure out how to get whatever else might be possibly waiting for me in those Hands. How can I get them? How can I figure out what they are? The thing is, I don't know when those hands are going to open. I don't know when He will offer down another blessing, but the the reason I don't know that is because I haven't tuned my ears to listen for them, to show up ready to receive. So often I miss them because I'm busy figuring out ways to try and bless myself, which ultimately leads to empty, unfulfilled disappointments.
So He reminds me with a cup of ice and a small, anxious dog ready to receive from the hand of her master who loves her. My Master, my King, reminds this small, frazzled girl that He loves her and He stands ready to give her blessings from His hands until her "cup runneth over" if only she'll look to Him and show up ready to receive.
#82 - Because He stands ready to give when I look to Him to receive.
"Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks." - 1 Timothy 4:4