I walked past this guy hanging on the wall. I don’t know his name. How does he manage to balance the unique set of body parts he has been given? He manages because his Creator’s design works. He has everything he needs.
I’m reminded of people I know. Looking at the circumstances of their lives, it’s hard to imagine how they are able to maintain balance in their lives. There have been times in my life I have been dangerously off balance to the point of believing I would never regain stability. Divorce – my own and my daughter’s – drug addiction in our family, the death of my mom and nephew and more tragedies in my close friends lives, have all knocked me off balance.
I have never experienced a fall of any height physically and can only envision grasping at anything and everything to break that fall and save myself. Yet, I have experienced several great falls involving heart breaking circumstances.
Looking back I can see how I grasped at tangible but fragile worldly rescue options.
Nothing stopped the fall.
Until I reached for God.
Most of us have experienced God even if only in our early years. I wonder if we could lay down all the debris we have collected over the years that clutters our perceptions of Him. Could we lay it aside and return to examine what we learned about Him as children with an unbiased, uncluttered approach?
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them.” NIrV
I believe that’s when the change began in me.
Slowly I regained a balance not dependent on me stopping the fall on my own power. My power failed me. Friends couldn’t save me, family couldn’t.
Today, I would challenge you to dig back into your toolbox of life experience and pull out the God you knew as a child. Hopefully you will find God unfiltered by the bias that has distorted your current view of Him. It changed mine so drastically that I can say today, I am grateful for the life experiences that have brought me to this new relationship with Him. I would never have chosen them. They came uninvited but left me with God, and a new-found, deep passionate love for Him.
If you have never known or experienced God, reach out to Him. You will find Him when you seek Him.
I’m grateful for the reminder this little guy hanging on the wall gave me. He is small, yet God used him to remind me how we are all wonderfully and powerfully made by our Creator in perfect balance when we make Him our level, the standard of measure in our lives. God created us with everything we need too, just like the little guy hanging on the wall last night.
Start there. Fall to your knees, asking Him to rescue you. That was the day that changed me.
The circumstances didn’t change, but now I faced each day knowing God in new ways.
Savior.
Healer.
Redeemer.
“Father, God, please come into this place each of us are in today. Meet us here. Let us see You in new ways. Let us see You unfiltered by world bias. We want to see You clearly as Your love fills us in Your presence. Stop the fall of despair Lord. Meet us there and rescue us Lord. Lead us to the place where we can serve You through our healing but protect us from the pitfalls and quick sand of the world that would keep us off balance, stuck, unfocused and unable to share Your love. Show us how to use our life experiences with the world around us in ways that will reflect Your deep, passionate love for us. We praise You for showing up in mysterious, remarkable ways. We love You Lord and we know we are loved. Amen”
Lamentations 3:55-58 ESV
55 “I called on your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit;
56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
your ear to my cry for help!’
57 You came near when I called on you;
you said, ‘Do not fear!’
58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
you have redeemed my life.
Psalm 34:4-8 NIrV
4 I looked to the Lord, and he answered me.
He saved me from everything I was afraid of.
5 Those who look to him beam with joy.
They are never put to shame.
6 This poor man called out, and the Lord heard him.
He saved him out of all of his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord stands guard
around those who have respect for him.
And he saves them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the man who goes to him for safety.