...Look With A Different Perspective...

Today I accidentally knocked off the back of one of my earrings at the gym.  I must have spent 10 minutes or more crawling around on the floor looking for it and couldn’t find it.  First thing, I prayed that the Lord would open my eyes to see it.  I didn’t have my reading glasses to help me.  I pulled out my phone and used it as a flash light and still I couldn’t find it.  Finally, I just made the decision that I would go on with the task at hand and put fresh eyes on it a few minutes later.  So I stood up and all the sudden…BAM… my eyes were drawn directly to the back of my earring.  It had been right in front of me the entire time…I just didn’t see it.  Of course I wasn’t surprised!  Trust me, this isn’t the first time I’ve trusted the Lord to show me where I’ve lost something…He’s always faithful to help me find whatever I’ve lost. But what I found interesting is that I had to change my perspective or the angle to find what I was looking for.  It was there the entire time but I wasn’t in the right place to be able to see it. 

I think that’s how it is a lot of times when we’re looking for different things in life.  We can be looking high and low…searching very intently and still cannot find what it is we’re looking for.  Just like me looking for the earring back…I had asked God to help me, but my perspective or my angle was all wrong.  I wasn’t lined up properly.  God had full intentions of showing me where it was…and He waited patiently until I was finished doing it my way to show me exactly where it was.  Actually…His way was much easier than the way I was crawling around on the floor! 

If you find yourself in a situation where you seem to be getting nowhere, which we all do from time to time, look with a different perspective or at a different angle.  If you’ve asked God to help you, you can be sure He is there waiting patiently with you.  Sometimes I believe He’s just waiting for us to get lined up perfectly…waiting for us to get to the end of ourselves…so that He can do what needs to be done in our lives.  Also, there’s nothing too small to ask God for help with…even looking for the back of an earring is not too small for God!  He truly cares about every aspect of our lives.  J      

His Grace Is Sufficient!

I have to tell you, I had been a Christian for quite some time before I fully understood what God’s grace was.  We sing and talk about it all the time, but until the Lord removes the veil, it’s difficult to understand just “what” it is.

I remember being a part of leadership in a group that was headed out to a function.  Man, I Did. Not. Want. to be a part of it!  But I knew that it was something that the Lord wanted me to do.  I remember that day.  I dragged my feet all day long putting off preparation for it.  I even thought…maybe I can get out of it at the last moment.  You know, maybe, just maybe I had been wrong in thinking that the Lord wanted me there.  Well, I prayed early in the day, ‘Lord, if you want me to be a part of this, I pray that You will give me the grace to get through it.’  So, as the time drew near and I made my move to prepare for the evening…suddenly my outlook began to change.  Long story short, I found myself in the middle of the evening, not only having a great time, but being one of the "instigators of funness!”  It was then that I realized how amazing God’s grace is. 

His grace “fills in,” so to speak, for us when there is nothing that we can do to make situations better for ourselves.  The Holy Spirit fills the “gap” from where we are to where we need to be.  It’s totally and completely supernatural…something that we are completely incapable of doing for ourselves…just like Salvation! 

You see, when Jesus gave up His life on the cross, took our sin, shame, sickness, disease, etc, He bridged the gap between God and all mankind.  He is grace.  Bridging that gap is something that no man can or ever will be able to do.  Jesus did it…once and for all!  He then sent the Person of the Spirit of God to be our Helper after His resurrection. The Holy Spirit supernaturally “helps us”…or “fills in the gap” when  we are incapable of doing something on our own.  A! MAZ! ING!!

Remember to call on the Lord always when help is needed.  He is always here for us and will never fail us.  His grace IS sufficient!!