Where Did You Find God Today?

I read a devotional that said when the writer spotted a negative emotion she stopped and asked God to help her identify the cause so she could hand it over to Him.

SPOT. STOP.  Word aficionado that I am, seeing those two words utilizing the same letters got my creative juices whirring.

When worry, frustration or prejudice knock at the door of our minds we should do two things – spot it and then stop it.  This helps to objectify whatever “it” is and remove it from any misguided emotions churning inside of us and threatening to rise to the surface.

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.  Proverbs 15:8

from lifehacker.com

Cooks know that in order to keep something from boiling over in a pot you can place a wooden spoon over the mouth of the pot. It acts as a barrier, popping the bubbles that rise, destabilizing them and making the rising boiling water retreat back into the pot.  By spotting the potential disaster, the cook knows how to stop it.

Prayer can be like a wooden spoon. Instead of stirring our emotions up, it can help keep things in control if we use it to cover the situation. Prayer stops fear, anxiety or negativity from bubbling up inside us.

Once our bubbling emotions are quelled, we must resist the urge to pick up the spoon and stir the pot, causing it to boil up again.  We need to be careful to not use prayer time only as a complaint session to revisit our angst and not get beyond it. Sure, God is a great sounding board, but at one point we need to stop and then give whatever it is to HIm. Then allow Him to deal with, heal, or reveal the purpose of the issue.

He has the ability to turn down the heat, or He may choose not to do so. Perhaps He will let things simmer in order to move us to act, hopefully through prayer. Or, He might remove the pot from the stove, so to speak.  Either way, we must allow Him to reveal to us how, once spotted,  we can stop it from getting out of control so He can use it for good.

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

...because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do… Ephesians 6:8a

We all like little rewards, right?

We were raised on charts that showed how many stars we’d earned throughout the school year. Trophies sat on our bookcases and medallions hung from door knobs. Achievement certificates were slipped into the proverbial black “document” frame from the dollar store and hung on the wall. Now they probably sit in a box on the closet shelf or at the back of a filing cabinet.

I like to play word and solitaire games on my smartphone. They offer me coins and treasure chests, which in reality mean nothing. It’s not like I can cash in my 15,783 coins for real money or even a prize like a blender or an e-reader. Still, these little attaboys make my day start off well. I did something. I achieved a goal and I have something to show for it. Well, virtually that is.

At times I wish God worked that way. I know, He does bless me when I am obedient and follow His will. Yes, He forgives my sins. Yes, when I need something like a new desk, tires, or a cavity filled. the money appears just at the right time in the sale of books, a small honorarium for speaking, or a new work to edit.  Occasionally someone will write and tell me a devotional spoke to their needs that day. At the end of my life, I know I will kneel before the throne and Jesus will speak well of me because I proclaim Him as my Savior. I pray I will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

But every now and then, I’d like to see something more tangible. A ding-ding and a few animated coins landing in my mental slot. I hope I am not sounding ungrateful or irreverent.

Perhaps I need to look more often for a rainbow, feel a soft breeze on my cheek like a celestial kiss, or notice a special white moon with the face smiling down at me.  And then continue to write about not only where I found God that day but how He found me and patted me on the head in the special way only He can. Better than virtual coins, right?

OK, Lord. Game on.

What is a ward?  A hospital wing? An orphan you’ve decided to financially support, especially if you live in Jane Austen’s time in England?

The word “ward” brings to mind an act of caring and being responsible for the welfare of another. If we assign a meaning to each letter, I see W-A-R-D as “with all resources directed.”  It becomes our focus.  And that is important.

Now, let’s add a syllable in front of the word. Award, for example.

Awards are nice. We all like to take responsibility for something we have done well. Bow at the sound of the applause. Maybe blush a tad bit as the chest swells with pride. Nothing wrong in that. We should be recognized for our accomplishments.

As a believer, the ultimate award awaits me in Heaven. Paul told Timothy, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…” (2 Timothy 4:8). But Paul also knew who provided the means for that award. It was the Lord and to His glory that all of Paul’s resources were directed.

Backward, forward, toward. By adding the syllables “back”,  “for“, or to””, it switches from being a noun to a verb. It implies action. And we are responsible for our actions, right?

Backward? Hmm. John Grant, former Senator from Florida, said in a recent devotional from Thoughts About God, “In life looking back is not going to help you…Never look back; nothing ever changes there. Don’t look back because you are not going that way.”

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, stated it this way: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (3:1).

When we look backward, our resources are directed to a past we cannot change. It stagnates us, like a river that has lost its current. So, we need to find another “ward” to go. Another direction to utilize our resources.

So, should we go toward? or forward? The Apostle Paul chose the word forward. Why?

If we go toward, we are being drawn. It is a passive movement. Someone or something else is pulling us.  But if we go forward, then we take the action and decide to move. We take ownership.  We are “for” whatever lies ahead.

Forward, by using the definition above, is a positive responsibility. We are moving with all of our resources in a future direction that holds meaning and purpose. And for Christians, it is to become more Christ-like, to give God the glory, and to help others along the way. That is the way to go.

Are you moving forward in your faith walk?  Or have you stopped, because you keep looking back? Are you wanting to move forward but aren’t taking action? Are you being pulled by the momentum of someone else’s faith instead?

It’s okay to lean on Christ when you are weak, but when you are again ready to run the race, He will move you forward like a parent watching his child wobble on a two-wheel bike, always there to catch you if you fall but encouraging you to keep peddling forward.