Don't Miss This

The onset of February does something that January doesn't.  It makes me realize: it's really another year and it's already a month into it.  How time flies.

I reflect on where my life is now, where it is going and where I've been.  I think about my walk with the Lord: where it has been, where it is going.  I look at other facets of life and evaluate the same thing, analyzing the ebb and flows of jobs, relationships, friends and life.

A new thought occurred: What am I allowing to get in the way? What consumes my thoughts the most? My answer rather starttled me.

Through it all, I see a pattern: when times get busy, it is harder to spend time with those I love and with God.  Somehow the demands of my job, stresses of circumstance and the potential emotions involved cloud my view.  It might cloud my sense of knowledge about God and His promises.  It might cloud my feelings toward God, our Father and His promises.  It might do both.

Or, it might completely cloud my ability to truly enjoy time with others when I'm not focused on it.  I'm one of those solvers, wrap everything in a nice bow type people.  When it ain't wrapped so well or at all, thoughts constantly swarm of how to fix it.  It could be about anything.  It could be about family, traffic, a conflict, a test, a project, a calling.

A calling.  That's a big one. Many of us feel a sense of calling in our lives, where we wrap our lives around this one thing and strive to make something happen.  But in this calling and all the things that consume us, may we not miss the Caller.  May we not just go through the motions of toiling, striving and lifting heavy loads without fulfilling the ultimate commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength," (Deut. 6:5).

Such is the irony where we can be yearning and doing all that we can to get to our "Promised Lands" where we miss the very One who wants to lead us there.  In the Old Testament, God often appeared in "a cloud of smoke".  To Moses, this was on Mt. Sinai.  While he went up the mountain, Israel became idolatrous, burning gold to a god that they made with their own hands.  All that god did was take. It never gave.

But, our God does. And Israel missed it entirely! They spent 40 years circling a mountain, complaining about the manna while the God they desired was right there at the top of Mt. Sinai, and none the less, had promised to lead them to the Promised Land.

In our lives, what mountain are we going through the motions to climb? In the process of walking in the calling where we feel led, are we also fulfilling the calling that is commanded of us in Deut. 6:5?

If we aren't or even if we are, let us start the year anew.  Let us love God with all our hearts. Simple right? Oddly, these days, not so much.

It seems that nowadays many are consumer Christians where all they do is take and take and take from God.  They zoom off, maybe throw God a "Thanks!" in the dust and then show Him little to no love.  That type of relationship doesn't work for long between us humans.  I'm thankful that between us and God, He has incredible patience and pursues us back to a loving relationship with Him.

Hosea got the reality show version of this when his wife trotted her boots out to other mens' bed.  What's a guy like Hosea to do? Toggle back to Hosea 2 where God revealed to Hosea that He knew the feeling. Israel had done the same thing to Him: " 'She decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but me she forgot,' declares the Lord," (Hos. 2:13 NASB).  Incidentally, we have done the same dang thing too.

Yes, I said it.  We have done the same thing in many ways.  We have played the harlot with our jobs, relationships, material things, or whatever, setting these things before God, loving the creation more than the creator, (Rom. 1:21).

Oouuuccchhh!  How could this happen? How could things/people/(you fill in the blank) come in between ourselves and God?

It's because things in this world constantly beckon our attention, emotions and time away from praising the One who gave us this life.  (That's Satan's evil plan, mind you).  But, overall, I'm thankful that according to Romans 8:38-39, God doesn't let this go on for long.  He won't let anything stand in the way of His love and pursues us back.

Go back to what God told Hosea: Buy her back.  Excuse me?  Did they have "buy back days" in that time? Probably not, but none-the-less, God commanded Hosea to go buy his prostitute wife back and reconcile with her.  Yes, He did.

"Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine," (Hos. 3:1 KJV).

And this is what God did with you and me.  Except this time, God didn't exchange a mound of shekels to buy us back.  No, He paid the price in full with the death of His son.

"While we are still sinners, Christ died for us," (Rom. 5:8, NIV).
 "... He first loved us," (1 John 4:19).

Read how He reconciled Israel: "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.  There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope..... I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice in love and compassion.  I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord," (Hos. 2: 14-15; 19-20, NASB).

Wow. Amazing love that the Lord, our God, has for us.

Bottom line, calling, or whatever is going on, we can't miss the calling to love God with all our hearts. Let nothing stand in our way in showing Him our sincere thankfulness for His gift on the cross, for His provision over our lives and His providential care to us.  How could we life this life on earth and miss the experience of loving God and being loved by Him?

So, my friend, this day and every day, whatever you feel called to do, don't miss the calling of loving God.  His whisper beckons our ears to visit with Him and show our admiration, sincerity and rest.

Want a case and point? My doggies just came to the door wanting to go outside.  Just as I was giving the older dog some love, I told her: I know you are going to runaway, but I still love you. I let her go outside, kept my eye on her and then called her back home.



© 2013 Candice Irion.  All Rights Reserved.