Oh, To Have My Father’s Eyes and Heart

A few days ago in my post, I said “Nothing is impossible with God. What’s going on in politics and our world doesn’t define our happiness. Those thoughts pale in contrast to those of us who rise to the 30,000 feet view that our Father has when He looks at us and this world."

The meaning of that “30,000 feet view” is best explained by looking out the window of an airplane. We see puffy, white clouds that look like cotton and we may be inside those clouds and see nothing but white matter all around us. Down below there could be fires raging, traffic jams, floods taking over lands and lives, and chaos of wars and conflict.....but we can’t see it because we’re tucked away inside a protective cloud that blocks our view. It’s like a state of peace and contentment -- flying high above it all and not seeing what is “earth-bound”.

When there are no clouds that block our view, all we can see is methodical organization of fields and lands marked by dividers (roads), gorgeous mountain ranges, valleys and hills, rivers and lakes, towns and cities with spectacular skylines, neighborhoods that are perfectly aligned. We can even see little cars. We don’t see the chaos that's going on in those homes, cars or buildings. Oh to have that 30,000 feet view of life. It sounds heavenly, doesn't it? Oftentimes, that's the way we live. When it comes to living in God's peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) -- it's a great way TO live. The eagle stories we hear about how they can fly above storms is a great analogy for us.

As peaceful the thought of not knowing about what's going on down below the clouds, or the thought of eagles being able to fly above it all, that wasn't God's life plan for us. He orchestrated our debut ON this earth and brought us to this place, at this time, to be right smack dab in the middle of LIFE and all that it holds. People are hurting. They are in need. Their world is falling apart. They need someone who SEES them and wants to do something to help them. We've heard the saying "They're so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good!" We're here to be earthly minded to LOOK and SEE -- SEE and BE the answer to someone's prayers, needs, heart cries, because we are servant minded -- like our Father and heavenly minded enough to want to take them to heaven with us!

We are here on assignment. When we make the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, we are given an assignment by Him to BE His disciples and His light to shine brightly in this hurting and cynical world. We see and hear those who claim to be Christians, but it’s hard to identify them because of their anger issues, the backstabbing, and word-slinging that accompany their talk and walk and their positions that oppose God’s Word. It’s up to us to be the beacons of light that “preach a sermon” every day – not so much by what we say, but how we live, how we talk, and how we walk. Not only having our Father's eyes to see those around us in need but to be His hands that hold the hands of those who are hurting, touching the untouchable and reaching out to the unlovable. To be His feet that travels to the captives and the outcast and free them. To have His heart full of compassion that SEES others as valuable brothers and sisters in need of a role model. Matthew 9:36 "But when He SAW the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them......"

When people look inside our lives.....don't we want to hear them say "They've got their Father's eyes, His hands, His feet.....AND His heart?"

Safe in the Eye of the Storm

Yesterday, I posted about BEING the eye of the storm and today I'm taking it a notch up. Oftentimes, no matter the peace and calm we represent or the peace and calm we are in, still unexpected stuff happens which really reveals whether we're just talking the talk, or actually walking the walk! Eleanor Roosevelt quoted these words to a friend: “A woman (my add: or man) is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.”

Yesterday, Friday, July 28, 2017, 11:45 am -- I was on a mission to return a swim suit to Dillard's that I didn't use on my Mexico trip. When I exited the busy, under-construction Dallas Tollway, a car was coming fast toward me on the side road so I had to slow to a stop to let her go on by. That's when the car behind me collided into the rear end of my car. We moved to a parking lot nearby and the young man who hit me was yelling all kinds of expletives and was pacing in a rage. My car had minor damage, but his was not drivable. He had just purchased the car 3 weeks earlier. I was calm and thankful the airbag in my car didn't deploy, and that neither of us were hurt.

I called Larry and he and Staci insisted on coming to me for moral support. Before long, the young man's best friend and former employee of the Law Department of Geico Car Insurance showed up and calmed the storm in his buddy and was equally reassuring to me that his buddy was a great guy (best friends since age 6), from a great family and still lives with his parents. My heart went out to the young man -- just 3 weeks in his beautiful new car and now having to deal with this inconvenience.

Here's what came about. Insurance information was exchanged, police showed up and wrote up the report and issued the young man a citation for going so fast he couldn't stop behind me. Staci, in her usual fashion, showed the young man the hail damage on his car and said "Be sure to wrap that hail damage into the repairs" -- "All things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28) -- if he didn't love God before, maybe this accident represents the turning point for him. Both Larry and Staci, and myself, represented compassion and care for the young man. No one was hurt. No doubt the young man will be a wiser and better driver hereafter. The friend of the driver kept saying "Thank you for being so thoughtful. I've seen so many upset drivers in situations like this and you are being so kind to him." I told him "Stuff happens and the way we handle 'stuff' is what shows up at times like this." When we departed, I hugged both young men and expressed my best wishes to both.

Who knew that when I posted yesterday about being "the EYE of the storm" in situations, that the same day I'd be putting to practice what I had preached. The fact is just a couple of months ago, I was in that young man's shoes, when I ran into the back of a car. Yes, accidents happen. That's why they're called "accidents". That same peace enveloped me then, too.

The calmness that lives in me isn't conjured up just for hard times. It's there 24/7. When we abide in THE ONE, Who is our peace at ALL TIMES, no matter what we encounter, we can rest assured our tea bags will ooze out God's love and God's peace in the midst of the storm. I wish you that PEACE today. I give you Jesus today -- because "He's the peace that passes all understanding." Philippians 4:7

What's Your Rhythm?

Rhythm -- a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
This morning I woke up, looked at the clock and first words out of my mouth were, "Thank you, Lord, for getting my sleep rhythm back to normal." For me, that is a regular, repeated pattern of at least 6 or 7 hours of sleep. Since moving from my home, I've slept in lots of different places, in different beds and getting only 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. But, now that I've been at my friend's home for several weeks now, and getting used to the bed here, I'm back to my normal 7 hours sleep a night. My sleep rhythm is back! Thanks be to God!

My mother-in-law has had a pacemaker for keeping her heart rhythm regular and constant for many years. She knows it when it's out of rhythm. She feels weak and dizzy.

Most importantly, God wants us to get into His rhythms -- those strong, regular, repeated patterns of love, kindness, forgiveness, tenderness, gentleness, giving, honoring, respecting. In all seriousness, there are just way too many people who are OUT OF GOD'S RHYTHM. They think it's okay to be nasty and hateful. That's certainly not His rhythm. I want to live on His side of the sweet music that He makes -- because when we are in tune with Him, we'll recognize all those folks, situations and circumstances that want to take us out of rhythm with Him and we'll resist that music with everything that's in us.

Since God, Himself, is the source of music, He wants us to get in His rhythm that dances, sings, lives and breathes His character and in His ways. His music sounds like this: "My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!" (Philippians 4:19) "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!" (Phiippians 4:13) "Greater is He Who lives in me than He who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Mark 12:31) "I have the peace of God that passes all understanding." (Philippians 4:7) Those are rhythms that make for really spectacular music.

So you ask me why my heart keeps singing,
Why I can sing when things go wrong.
Since I've found the Source of music
I just can't help it. God gave the song.....Yes, I'm dancing, singing, living in God's rhythm!