The Significance of 'Today'
"God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, to eat our fill at the banquet you spread as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You're a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light." Psalm 36:5-9.
This is such an overwhelming thought. As I was reading today I was struck by these words deeply. I stopped and have spent much time trying to let these words sink into my heart. His love is much vaster than anything I can begin to conceive. But often it is hard to conceive that it is personal too, that He has a specific love for me, little simple me. These words in this Psalm confirm and declare that there is a vast love for each of us personally, that nothing is too small or insignificant for God; not you, not me, not our lives, our dreams, our fears, or our desires- nothing is too little for Him. His love is so huge and great that it covers all right down to the tiniest detail. How exquisite your love O God!
O How I am compelled by such a love. How I want to respond to this love with extravagant worship and extravagant surrender. I struggle with thinking that it can only be extravagant and pleasing to God if there is great sacrifice and extremes involved. For example, extravagant surrender would be giving up everything I have here and moving to some remote part of Africa to be a missionary in a village there. While, yes that is extravagant and pleasing to God- it is only pleasing if that is what you are called to do. It doesn't mean that this is what every Christian needs to do to please God. We please God when we are in His will and are faithful with what is required of us.
For most of us, myself included, that isn't quite as extreme- at least right now it is not. I wake up every morning and ask God to keep me in His will for today. I have to believe that if I am in God's will everyday and seek that each morning- that in the end I will have a life to show of being in His will and fulfilling His purpose for me.
It is easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture- to focus on doing something great to impact the world and the Kingdom of God, but I am seeing that even in the great works, they are accomplished by simple acts of obedience through time. Most of these daily tasks probably don't seem very significant taken for what they are but added together it is of great importance. What will lead to the big end picture?- the simple tasks of 'today.' The big picture will become clearer as we live by God's grace through each 'today.' One day at a time.
I believe it is important to have goals and dreams for the future, but the road to those ambitions is the road we are on now. Today is preparation for tomorrow. Today is all that is asked and required of us. Being in God's will for each 'today' will be what will allow us to hear, "well done," when it is all over and we are standing before the throne of God. What a mighty day that is to look forward to.
So for today, it might seem insignificant, it might seem mundane, you might not see any fruit or feel any progress. Surrender. Trust God to keep you in His will. Continue to seek Him and His will daily and let Him do the keeping leading work.
I sometimes go to change a poopy diaper for the umpteenth time and feel like there must be more. Then I have to sigh and remind myself that even this is significant to God. It's not just washing feet, which I do each night too, but it's washing a little hiney. I am learning the essence of what it means to be a servant. This is one of the last and most important lessons Jesus taught us. So even in this God is using it to make me more like Christ, even in changing a poopy diaper there is redemption. That is quite a thing to remind myself!
I sometimes feel condemned that I don't have more to show for my life at the end of the day than a beautifully scribbled picture, clean toes, full bellies, another sesame street song stuck in my head, and a kiss on my cheek from my little man. But I know that these feelings are not from God. This is what I have been given, this is what is required of me. This is my task for 'today' and to do anything else would not be fulfilling the task at hand.
Sure there might not be much public admonition, there aren't many pats on the back, I don't win souls for the Kingdom everyday. But I am trying my best by the grace of God to be faithful with the precious soul entrusted to me- to pour all that I can into his heart and life and in doing so to affect the future by raising my son to be a man after God's own heart. This is the most important thing I could do with my life and time right now. This is such a privilege to have this task and life entrusted to me, and it is one I am so grateful for!
For some the task is going to work each day, it is being faithful with your job and to care for those you work with well- as best as you can. It might be crunching numbers at a bank or swiping barcodes at a check out counter, it might be answering phones at a desk, or sitting behind a computer doing whatever it is those people do who sit behind computers all day. Either way it is significant to God and He has a specific purpose for you in it, in every day.
Nothing is too small that it slips through the cracks with God. All that is asked of you is to be faithful in what you've been given.
Seek to be in His will. Ask Him for the grace you need to be faithful in what He's given you to do each day. Apart from Him you can do nothing. But He is right here offering all that you need. He is all that you need. Just go to Him and receive. You might not feel, you might not see- but go by faith and trust Him to provide and keep.
Abide. Remain in Him. He is your source and your strength. The daily seeking-> the daily abiding->the daily fulfillment of His Will. This is sounding like a pep talk. I felt like this is what God gave me today as I was seeking Him. It was much needed. I needed to be reminded of His perspective. I do make Him proud. It is not by the world's standards that He judges. I do honor Him. I do not need anyone's approval or pat's on the back on this earth to honor Him or even to serve Him. I am not validated by what the world says of me, but by what God says of me. He calls me by name and He calls me His own. He keeps me and is making me into the woman He wants me to be and He calls me beautiful. I am His creation, made in His image.
I want to share this to encourage you as well. To remind you that with God there are no favorites, just one vast immeasurable extravagant love! He loves you, He knows you. He sees, He cares, He smiles the smile of a proud daddy....a very proud daddy. You are of greatest significance to God, every detail that makes you you- He cares about. Continue to run to Him in all honesty. Cast your cares, your fears, your hopes, your all onto Him- tell Him all about it. Be honest, be thorough. He'll listen and He'll surprise you with His love. Let Him surprise you. Go expecting to be surprised. Seek Him. Trust Him. Go to Him for all, with your all, to be your all, He will cover all.
"Open up before God, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done: He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon." Psalm 37:5-6
Smile... Laugh... Joy... Peace... Grace... Love: All abundance in Him alone.
posted by Kellie # 12:56 PM
