7 THINGS THAT REALLY SCARE ME

David and I have been blessed with 6 grandchildren.  The oldest is 10 and the baby is 6.  They are each as different as can be.  They make us laugh; cry and shake our heads sometimes at the things they say.  If a reporter were to line them up and put a microphone in front of them and ask them “How would you describe your Nonnie” (my grandmother name), they would all answer the exact same way.  Nonnie is a scardy cat.  They are right!  My favorite ride at the amusement park is the Carousel. They have explained to me any number of times that the Carousel is not a ride at all.  Don’t care, it’s my favorite! I don’t drive fast; don’t try new restaurants and close my eyes during the scary parts of the movie.  If I had my way, they wouldn’t do scary things either. 

For all the things that scare me, one tops the list-I never want to have God disappointed in me.  Don’t misunderstand, I have failed Him so many times, but it kills me every time when that still small voice within my heart makes me fall under conviction.  I want to love the things God loves and stay away from the things He detests.  There is a list in Proverbs 6 that line up the things God hates. 

^“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. “
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Let me break down these 6 no 7 things for you. 

1.       Proud attitude that looks down on others

2.       One who tells untruths

3.       Killing of the innocent

4.       A heart that thinks and commits evil toward another

5.       One who loves evil and helps it along its way

6.       A false witness

7.       One who causes division in the church or community.

One thing that always stands out to me about these Scriptures, is things we say and think are on the same list as those who murder. 

As I studied these Scriptures once again this week, I learned that God does not make a difference between the one who spreads the evil and one who does nothing to stop it!  I mean is that scary or what?  If we hear of a wrong, we must try to “right” it.  We cannot “help it along it’s way” by justifying that at least we didn’t start it.  If we “heard” it, we have a responsibility to intervene with the truth.

I have had the misfortune to know people who just love to create drama.  They are drawn to gossip and back-stabbing like a bee to honey.  I’ve had to learn to stay away from those because before I know it, my walk is affected, and I begin to a part of the problem rather that a part of the solution. 

What about you?  I think a crazy roller coaster would be a walk in the park next to disappointing the God who gave me life and secured my eternity.

DON'T MISS THE WONDER!

DON'T MISS THE WONDER!

David and I have had the blessing of traveling quite a bit this summer.  We began our journeys by traveling to New York and Canada to see Niagara Falls.  It had been on my “bucket list” for a long time.  Then a couple of weeks later, we headed off on an adventure at the top of David’s list: an Alaskan cruise.  The sights we beheld were really mostly beyond description.  The beauty and magnitude of God’s creation is so far beyond what we could design if we tried.  We truly saw things we had never seen before. It was all brand new to us.  If you know my husband, you will know that he is really a very sensitive kind of guy and many times during our journey, he was moved to tears over what he was witnessing.  Most of the pictures I took were of his back as he gazed out from the balcony of our cabin.  I was moved to tears watching him have a dream fulfilled.  We didn’t take a lot of pictures, choosing instead to just enjoy the sights. 

During the trips, I began to notice the strangest thing.   Most everyone was constantly using their cameras on their phones.  They would take a picture and then move on to find something else to fill their view finder.  They missed the magnitude of the wonder because they only saw what was featured in their camera lens.  Very few took the time to see the picture as a whole rather than just a snippet of the picture.  Every meal was recorded on their camera; every encounter qualified as a subject for a selfie. The most common interaction between parents and children were posing for pictures.

I am such a people watcher and these trips made for great entertainment for me.  I noticed that once the incident was recorded on their phones, they then spent the rest of their time on the phone.  I suppose they were uploading the pictures to social media and the like.  I do know that very few enjoyed the people, sounds and wonders around them because they were too busy staring at a small screen they held in their hand.  Most failed to engage with those that were just featured in their important selfie.

I think perhaps I’m guilty of the same thing in my spiritual life.  I’m so caught up with this small circumstance that seems so huge to me, that I miss the new thing and the big thing God is doing in my world.  I’m so distracted by the puddle in front of me that I fail to see the river he is parting for my next adventure.  I’m so fearful by nature that I must be drug kicking and screaming through the wilderness to get to the valley of blessing just around the corner!

Let’s all agree to stop focusing on our small stuff and not miss the wonder of what He is doing in our life.  

j