As I start leaving the world of a young adult (a very mature young adult I may add) and slowly begin entering the world of full blown adulthood; I have found that I am becoming the very person I used to make fun of. I am referring to the fact that my days, weeks, and months are kept organized and scheduled by my daily planner. Yes, friends I have a planner which has become my sanity this semester. With endless class projects and assignments, schedule changes, appointments for my grandmothers, an independent study, and obligations for myself; I must keep a tangible record and reminder of my daily madness. Not to mention the extra dates I have to remember with friends getting married and having children! In order to keep my days structured and to ensure that I don’t miss an important date or deadline; I need a reminder. Sometimes my planner is enough but there have been occasions where I set reminders in my phone and do the infamous reminder writing on the back of my hand. And despite all of these efforts, there have still been times when I am the only one in my class who hasn’t turned in the required assignment or the one who receives a text messages in the morning reminding me to wear lab clothes when I am already fully dressed in khakis and a sweater. If my dependence on my planner is a sign of old age, I am in trouble. Instead of claiming absent mindedness; I prefer to think that my ability to zone out during the exact time I should be paying attention in school leads to my constant state of confusion regarding class schedules, assignments, and projects. As for the other needed reminders, I am still trying to come up with a reasonable justification.
As I was looking through my trusted planner this afternoon trying to find a time to pencil in my favorite Fairmont prosecuting attorney for a lunch date; I felt a tug in my spirit. Yesterday as I was driving home from a presentation, I was thinking about friends who I also wanted to pencil in my planner for a date. (I don’t really pencil in time with those I love because people are ALWAYS more important that projects and appointments) But I did text a friend yesterday just to say I miss you, I love you, and we must hang out soon. This morning as I was spending my quiet time with the Lord the name of this specific friend and another friend whom I love dearly kept coming to my mind. So listening to God, I prayed for these two women extra long today. So, back to my planner. As I was confirming a lunch date with my favorite Fairmont attorney, I again was drawn to one of my friends. And this time the presence of God was very powerful so I again prayed. After praying, I was struggling with whether or not to call/text my friend or just simply obey the Lord and pray. So as I sometimes do, I asked God for a sign. Those closest to me know that my sign from God is a cardinal. (convenient considering the cardinal is our state bird but you would be surprised at the places I have seen a cardinal) I wasn’t asking for a cardinal to fly onto my window sill; I was asking for God’s will to trump my will. (although I would have welcomed a cardinal)
Many times in my life God has sent me a cardinal when I desperately needed it. The day I received my admittance letter to PT school at a university that wasn’t one of my top choices; I saw a cardinal and knew that I would get my top choice. They day of my pap’s funeral I saw 6 cardinals in the middle of January that flew to the telephone pole above my car as soon as I walked outside. God knew on that day I needed more than one reminder of His love for me. My cardinal encounters are numerous but God’s reminder to me of His presence in my life is endless. I don’t always need a reminder and I most definitely don’t deserve a reminder but because God loves me so much He delights in knowing that by sending a cardinal into my path; my day and my life will instantly become better. Does God send you reminders or signs to ease your mind and delight in your heart and when (not if) He does do you appreciate them or do you ignore them? Sometimes God’s reminders are an added bonus to us simply to give us more than we deserve. And sometimes we need signs to strengthen our faith and minimize our fears. But sometimes we wait for a sign and by doing so ignore our obedience to God. Our obedience, love, and foundation to our relationship for Christ can’t be based on signs from Him. When God speaks to us or when we have a need we can’t wait for a sign in order to trust Him. God desires to make Himself recognizable to us always. When we stop trusting God, as we are waiting for our sign, we deny God the ability to make Himself recognizable through us. Living a life that glorifies God is synonymous with living a life that reveals God. When we glorify God by making Him the center of our life and trusting Him above everything else; He will send us more than a cardinal friends. He will reveal Himself to us in ways that no mind can ever imagine.
Today, I didn’t see a cardinal but I didn’t need to. The very moment I asked God for direction; I got my sign. By trusting God and seeking His will above my own I had instant peace within my spirit. God may not always send me a cardinal but He will always reveal Himself to me because above all, I choose to glorify God and enjoy His presence.
Verse to remember: 1 Cornithians 2:9-10 However, as it is written “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.
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