Today, I learned that despite living in Wilson Estates as a teenager; I had forgotten all of the house rules. So, I have been making a mental list of all of the important responsibilities I must fulfill in order to maintain normalcy in my new home. In one day, I learned that the lint must be removed from the dryer on Mondays, the trash compactor button sticks, the grandfather clock needs attention every third day, the remote control requires a PHD for use, and the outside light is the first switch on the wall (I still think it’s the last switch but the important thing is that I remember to turn it off). Most would assume I forgot the rules because they aren’t truly rules but the real reason I forgot was because I remembered the perks of living here instead. I remembered how it felt to have dinner as a family. I remembered how happy my heart became when those living under the same roof as me appreciated my love for Christian music. I remembered praying together every morning before I left for school. I remembered every small thing two people did to make my life better in every way. (I wish I had remembered the practical jokes but it’s slowly coming back to me) Because of my time spent with my two favorite people EVER; I learned the depths of God’s love for me.
And tonight as their phone rang after they had gone to bed; I added to my list of things learned today. I learned it was just the beginning of my grandma’s phone calls (I had given her the number only hours before) and I learned that when you are obedient to God’s will; He will always be faithful. Yesterday, I began my New Year’s resolution and today God used me as the second man for His job. The purpose of my grandma’s late night phone call was to ask me to call her best friend who wanted someone to pray for her oncology appointment tomorrow. As I sat on the phone with a woman who has battled sickness in many forms over the past few months; I learned that she wasn’t scared or defeated but instead desperate for God to come to her. After I prayed for her, I told her I would come over for a visit this week if she was feeling up to it. Before she hung up she said, “Jay, no matter what I find out tomorrow; I will remember your prayer.” She won’t remember her fear about the possibility of re-occurring cancer, she won’t remember the pain of watching her family hurt, she won’t remember the battle she is facing; she will remember the depths of God’s love for her. She will remember the voice of truth. She will remember the victory we claimed.
Of all the things I learned today (Tomorrow, I will learn how to successfully start a fire), the most valuable was to always remember the faithfulness of God. We will never be able to understand the method God uses for us to learn something new or to learn a tough lesson from Him. But when we are trying to make a mental list of everything we are responsible for in order to uphold our end of the deal; it is more important to remember the promises of God opposed to our own directions to life. Are you too busy trying figure out life that you forget to remember God’s faithfulness? Or maybe you make a daily list (or in my case a daily novel) of things to remember but fail to add God’s truths to your list. When you allow God’s faithfulness to trump every other memory your brain is capable of storing; you won’t care when you forget to turn off the outside light or when your attempts to start a fire always end without a flame (I redeemed myself by fixing the computer speakers). You will be too busy thanking God for enriching your life with two people who allowed you to experience His love and faithfulness and who don’t mind late night phone calls.
Verse to remember: Lamentations 3:22-23 because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.
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