I am a bit of a mean mother.
I have a pet peeve, which I come down on like a ton of bricks, because it winds me up so much.
When I send a child to look for something, it drives me demented when I KNOW I have sent them to the right place to look for it, and they come back and say "I can't find it....."
"Have you looked PROPERLY?", I ask?
And, if I have to go and find it for them, punishment ensues. Simply because I KNOW they have not bothered to look properly, and have been lazy.
Can you empathise??
It's a bit like a man looking for something, but that's another topic.... *whistles*
I was reading in Jeremiah this morning. I am loving the little gems of verses that crop up in the prophets, and one came up this morning.
I have a pet peeve, which I come down on like a ton of bricks, because it winds me up so much.
When I send a child to look for something, it drives me demented when I KNOW I have sent them to the right place to look for it, and they come back and say "I can't find it....."
"Have you looked PROPERLY?", I ask?
And, if I have to go and find it for them, punishment ensues. Simply because I KNOW they have not bothered to look properly, and have been lazy.
Can you empathise??
It's a bit like a man looking for something, but that's another topic.... *whistles*
I was reading in Jeremiah this morning. I am loving the little gems of verses that crop up in the prophets, and one came up this morning.
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
It made me think of sending a child to look for something. If they say they have looked, and I know they haven't done a good job, sometimes I will tell them that they have done it "half-heartedly". Often, it's a school book they are looking for, which may be why they are not putting in as much effort! When we say "half-heartedly", we are saying they have not put their all into doing whatever task is in hand.
It got me thinking about my own life - spiritually speaking.
There are times when I can be faltering - struggling - failing.
I feel that the Lord is far from me, and circumstances are getting right on top of me, instead.
Just like a child, I can get in a stress, and declare "But, I can't find the Lord in all of this".
The thing is, I *THINK* that I am searching for the Lord, but it's not a whole-hearted search.
If I am still clinging to my circumstances, then my whole heart is not searching for God. The Bible tells us to cast ALL our care on Him. When we search for God in the circumstances, and see His loving hand in all we experience, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
If I am trying to make excuses for my own behaviour, then my whole heart is not searching for God. When, instead, we see our sinful responses for what they are - our selfishness, our stubborn wills, our anger, our in-submission to God's commands, or our discontent - and turn from them, in repentance, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
If I am allowing circumstances to dictate how I respond to trials, and I focus on how I FEEL, instead of how God expects me to behave, then my whole heart is not searching for God. If we remember that all things work together for good, and have a calm and peaceful mind and heart that depends on God and not our emotions, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
You see what it says? We WILL find Him, if we search with our whole heart. Amidst the circumstances we are in, we will see God, we will find God , we will depend upon God. But, we need to search with our WHOLE heart. Put in ALL our effort and not to stubbornly depend upon ourselves. Cast self aside, and rely fully on God.
The next time I bemoan my children not looking for something properly, I will have a quick check of my own heart, and make sure I have no neglect in my search for God's ways in my life.
It got me thinking about my own life - spiritually speaking.
There are times when I can be faltering - struggling - failing.
I feel that the Lord is far from me, and circumstances are getting right on top of me, instead.
Just like a child, I can get in a stress, and declare "But, I can't find the Lord in all of this".
The thing is, I *THINK* that I am searching for the Lord, but it's not a whole-hearted search.
If I am still clinging to my circumstances, then my whole heart is not searching for God. The Bible tells us to cast ALL our care on Him. When we search for God in the circumstances, and see His loving hand in all we experience, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
If I am trying to make excuses for my own behaviour, then my whole heart is not searching for God. When, instead, we see our sinful responses for what they are - our selfishness, our stubborn wills, our anger, our in-submission to God's commands, or our discontent - and turn from them, in repentance, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
If I am allowing circumstances to dictate how I respond to trials, and I focus on how I FEEL, instead of how God expects me to behave, then my whole heart is not searching for God. If we remember that all things work together for good, and have a calm and peaceful mind and heart that depends on God and not our emotions, THEN we are searching with our whole heart.
You see what it says? We WILL find Him, if we search with our whole heart. Amidst the circumstances we are in, we will see God, we will find God , we will depend upon God. But, we need to search with our WHOLE heart. Put in ALL our effort and not to stubbornly depend upon ourselves. Cast self aside, and rely fully on God.
The next time I bemoan my children not looking for something properly, I will have a quick check of my own heart, and make sure I have no neglect in my search for God's ways in my life.
I love this post. When seeking God's will or direction, one must put away self and really seek with intent. Very good analogy to the child looking for something. My kids can never find their shoes and I can sometimes look down right in front of them and point and say, "are those your shoes." It is too funny!
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