Bothering God

Not long ago, we started attending, what I imagine would be called, a mega-church. On our first visit, we were shown around the building by a volunteer who told us that it wasn't really that big once you get used to it. (That's like saying a toothache doesn't hurt, once you get used to it ~ it still hurts!) By our standards this place was huge, and besides who was she to tell us what is big and what isn't?

The reality that we found is that she was right. While the facility is huge, you still end up with a small group of friends ~ except, each of those people has a small group of friends, and it goes on and on. We never had a desire to attend a mega-church, in fact I still don't, we just have a larger group of friends now. Actually, the logic of not wanting to attend a mega-church because there are too many people, defies itself if we want to be Christians. As Christians, we are called to meet with the brothers and sisters in Christ. In the end, with heaven as our goal, that will be the mother of all mega-churches ~ so maybe what we have is just practice.

I now look down the halls of our building and it no longer looks so imposing. Perhaps this is similar to how we look at things as children and when we go back as adults ~ what we remembered as huge is now very small. This can also be true of issues that we confront daily and try to handle ourselves instead of allowing God to have control ~ if we think about them from an individual point of view ~ but in the grand scheme of things, where do they rank?

Do we look at our relationship with Christ as one in which He is too big or busy to bother with my issue? When we first come to realize our need for a Saviour, we can't fathom how a God so big as to create everything that we can see from the Hubble telescope and beyond, can be small enough to hear or care about our issues. How often do we say something similar to "Well, others have bigger problems...." or "God has bigger things to worry about than....." The truth is that my relationship with Jesus should be more open and honest than the relationship I have with Penny. God wants to be involved in our lives and He wants us to trust Him in all things ~ He already knows all of the dark secrets.

Reach out to Him, no matter how big or little the issue seems to you ~ let Him enter into the decision making. I don't recall ever hearing someone say "I wish I hadn't bothered God about that".

Small churches are used by God in the same way that large ones are. I have not read where we need to be several thousand to hear from Him, but ~ "where two or more are gathered in My name...". Jesus often went off to be alone with God. We attend the Creation Festival in Pennsylvania each summer. The pre-Festival time is great because I can be out in the fields alone with God ~ the Festival can be great because of the thousands joining in during Praise and Worship to our God.

Sorry this is so disjointed, it is just the way I think sometimes. I guess in the end, I don't believe that God has a preference and maybe we shouldn't either. ~ K

Plans

Finishing up a quilt for an aunt at the Childrens’ Home in Choluteca, Honduras I was thinking about the fabric being incorporated into the quilt. The plans I had for the fabric (which I bought two years ago) had gone by the wayside long ago...yet here it was becoming part of a quilt which would comfort, warm and protect an adult who chooses to serve children who have been infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

While piecing the quilt-top, I could recall where each fabric was purchased and for whom the original quilt was intended. My initial plan was worthwhile and well-made but circumstances led to a different result. How much is that like my plans versus God’s plans? We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16.9). We plan for graduation…college… career…marriage… children…retirement – the list continues on and on. How many of my life plans resulted the way I planned them? Looking back, very few! Yet, looking at life’s events, I can see God’s hand – before and after I surrendered to Him – orchestrating my life. Taking the “fabrics” and arranging them according to His plan – how thankful I am!

Not only did He arrange my life, I can see where he took the heartaches, the sadness, the frustrations and pieced them into the quilt of my life. He didn’t leave holes or ugly places, He took the hard times and created a masterpiece of His design – flaws and all. How can we not love God? He takes the difficult, devastating times and transforms them into an integral part of His design for our lives – ultimately, an opportunity to demonstrate His power and relentless Love. Oh, what a Savior!!! ~ P