Friday, December 3, 2010

:: refreshing truth::

so...I've written about this devotional we've been going thru several times now...maybe I'll try and find the links...maybe not... (one here, and i can't find the other one)

but I gotta write this while I have a moment...

so yesterday, before I even rolled out of bed, I was laying there, praying. That I would be the Mum the girls need, that I would portray some of the patience my heavenly Father bestows on me, that I would find the time to let them know how much I love them and just that the Holy Spirit would be present with us throughout the day...

and then we went for a drive...our Saturday ritual done on a Thursday...why not?!

i pulled out the devotional and opened it to this text...the words breathed refreshing truth into my heart, spoke right to my soul and cause tears to fall...

it's SO awesome when stuff like that happens, especially after I'd prayed for the Spirit to be present with us...

so, here's a section of the reading that will hopefully be some refreshing truth to you today:

One winter night evening, I drove up to the house, and there wasn't a single light on. At first I thought there must have been a power outage or something, but our neighbors' homes were lit up.

I walked into an empty house. Lisa and the kids had visited some friends and were stuck in traffic. The silence of my greeting felt overwhelming. The house, dark and empty, looked like a completely different place. I did something I never thought I'd do. I turned most of the lights on to welcome Lisa and the kids home.

That incident became one of those "lightning" moments when God impresses a truth on your heart, when the mundane becomes prophetic and time stops long enough for a profound thought to slip through. I couldn't articulate the thought, but I realized that every blessing comes with a burden.

If God were to take my wife and children home, I'd have a much smaller electric bill - and a hole in the heart the size of Texas.

I soon realized that in just about every complaint lies the foundation of thanksgiving....The fact that you're so busy assumes that you have a job. The fact that there's a load of laundry means someone is alive to get it dirty....

It really comes down to how we choose to look at it. God could remove the burden - but if he did, he'd also take away the blessing....

This week, whenever you feel tempted to complain because your kids are being kids - making messes, not replacing the toilet, leaving lights on, messing up your car - ask God to remind you of the blessing behind the burden. Ask him to help you remember that a clean house, a smaller bill, and a spotless car aren't nearly as fulfilling as a relationship of love. ~Gary Thomas

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