A friend reminded me of a quote in this little essay. "Accepting reality while pressing for change is the task of a real believer." It makes sense. Tonight, I am in Vegas speaking at a conference for an international equipment dealer. Really I am here for many reasons. Learning. Giving back to others. Looking for a God appointment of a new client. Listening to others who struggle with similar issues. Maybe I'm just here to enjoy the fountains. Set against the Eifel tower replica at the Paris, they are phenomenal. It is relaxing to sit above all the noise and chaos and just enjoy the pleasantness in the evening. So here is a thought from some day earlier this year.
By the way, don't forget the Father/Daughter Summit. Time to register and bless your daughter, Dad. Time to register and bless your dad, Daughter. http://www.fathers.com/summit
Ecclesiastes 11:3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
The rain falls where the rain falls. Be blessed.
While I write this, a pleasant and cool rain is blessing the cooked earth. It has been a normal and hot summer. Today, the rain blesses. Other days, the rain has caused pain with lightening and power outages. Enjoy the rain. There is a pleasant detoxification in watching the rain with a cup of coffee early in the morning.
Over the last few weeks it has been a source of comic relief to think on the amount of control we would like to have over the world. Interacting with many ministries and business and community entities a fluid thought comes up quite frequently. How do we make this world conform to our view and expectation? Why does the world just do what it does and not meet our definition? How long will it take to gain the understanding needed to make today’s decisions? What is left that we don’t know? Why do some fail and some succeed? Can’t I just shout at the mountain and it will disappear?
Really, these questions and the underlying quest for conforming others to our definitions can lead us to frustration. The premise that the world should conform to our view is hilariously warped. Sure, we are here to carve a notch in our sphere of influence and bring more of the kingdom of God into reality in our neighborhood, our metro. Sure, we should leave the world a better place than what we found it. But there is a reality at work that this world will groan in birth pains until the day of Jesus’ appearing. Every worshipper of the Creator God looks for this. The Jew looks. The Christian looks. The Muslim looks. They all look for the Messiah to come and stop the madness.
Accepting reality while pressing for change is the task of a real believer. Getting mad that it doesn’t work as fast as we would like is the mark of immaturity. Staying unsettled and unsatisfied so that we keep working on it is an indicator of a healthy world-changer. Just make sure you laugh at yourself often. Just make sure you have fun in the mirror while comparing the enormity of the task with your personal inadequacy. Just be ready to find out that some doctrine you have made into a sacred cow may have to fall dead in the face of reality and lifetime learning. Just stay open to God peeling away layers that took you years to secure and anchor against His breath of lifelong revelation.
There is blessing to receive in every day. There is pain to confront every day. Our choice is one of life or death. We can speak life. We can speak death. We can receive life. We can receive death. Both are open opportunities every moment. Trees are falling where they will fall around us every moment. There is a dance of avoiding too much pain and accumulating massive blessing that is our lot on earth. Enjoy the journey. Don’t get too hung up in making a perfect dance. Every once in a while one of those trees will fall close and cause the pain of disease, death, abuse, slander, gossip, envy, jealousy, attack, or some other violence or loss. Every once in a while one of those trees will fall close and cause the reality of conflict, friction, misunderstanding, or some other present reality of relationship. Every once in a while one of those trees will fall close and bring a bucket of blessing unexpected and welcome. Don’t get too convinced that you have as much control as you think you have. Sure, doing the right things bring the right results. Sure, there are principles that are unfailing. Just remember there are trees falling, too. It is one of the principles.
Relax and watch the rain with wonder. Take a falling tree to lunch and laugh with them. Call a fallen tree and have a quick chat with an encouraging word. Listen to a tree split by the electricity from the sky and render more compassion and less judgment. Enjoy God’s creation that defies our control and conforming desires. Some days, it is okay to just enjoy the rain. Be blessed.
Take Action: Not today. Just enjoy.
Let’s Pray: Father of Blessing, help me to dance the dance. Help me to place my bucket to catch more good rain than bad. It falls all around me. You put me here in this forest. You placed me in this moment. I accept the charter to live within it and bring it closer to Your will. It resists. It fights. It falls hard and in places where I don’t want it to fall. Yet, the blessings outnumber the pains. I choose to take heart, You have overcome the world. There is trouble, but You have overcome. There is pain, but You have overcome. After the heat, comes the refreshing rain. Give me joy in all moments. You stay connected with every moment in my life that my joy might be full. Let Your promises overwhelm my premises.
Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099 405-388-8037
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