Interruptions

Don't you just hate it when someone interrupts you when you're in the middle of doing something? I know it can drive me absolutely crazy. At one moment I am fully immersed in whatever it is I'm doing and in the next something has requested my attention and now I've completely lost the focus I had. I'm no longer in the moment of my activity, I am now split between the interruption and the thing I was doing. At times like this I find it really hard to give my fullest attention to either thing and this is when I learn what my heart thinks is more important.

Honestly, I don't think I always choose the best things to be important to me. What I ought to desire isn't always what I do. When I am torn between what I was doing and something good, I really should release the thing I was doing and give the good thing my fullest attention. The way God times things in our lives is intentional. He wants to interrupt us at times so that we can focus on something greater than ourselves, mainly Him. As much as I hate interruptions, I must admit, if it weren't for these inconveniences in life I don't think I'd be who I am or where I am now. You see, in order for me to be saved and to know Jesus my life had to be interrupted. I was surely not heading in the direction of salvation and really had no desire to look in that direction at all until God decided to call me to Himself. I had no real say in my own salvation, it was all God, He is the one who calls us out individually, opens our box, sets us free and then begins the process of changing us. He is also the one who brought me to where I am now. Through His interruptions of my life I changed schools which lead to meeting my wife and started the whole process of finding the job I wanted. The jobs I've had, each one helping me to realize what I wanted to actually do lead me eventually to the job I have now (which is what I want to do and is a wonderful job). Through these changes He has also made it possible for us to find a house in an area that is convenient for us at a price we could afford and with everything we would need. This house finding adventure lead us to having the ability to pay off certain debts so that my wife could stay home and care for our daughter who we found out after buying the house was going to be our next adventure. So in His timing and interruptions our lives were shaped and we learned just how well our God provides for us. Oh how great it is to know that someone much more reliable than me is the actual provider for our family!

So, in rememberance of God's greatest interruption of our lives, our salvation, let us praise God every time we are interrupted today and give these good interruptions our fullest attention so that God can continue to change us, to shape us into the likeness of Christ.

Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Day

Each of us has our own idea of a wonderful day. Take for example my idea of a wonderful day, it will probably vary a bit from yours. My ideal day is hazy, cooler but not cold, rainy at times or with a good thunderstorm during part of the day. My day is very relaxing, laid back, but not tiring as most people think of these dreary days. It is a day at home, spending some time listening to the sound of rain and doing various indoor activities. I love these days, but I don't love them every day, I do enjoy sunny days too as most people do, but I really love having a few days in my ideal range of comfort.

Every day is a wonderful day when you think about it. You have been given another day to live, to enjoy life and the good things within it. For me it is another day I get to spend with my Godly wife and enjoy the gift from God that she is. It is another day to see my daughter's smiling face or hear her laugh at something completely random. The new day is also another chance for me to do what I desire to do, though most days I fail to live up to my expectations, but that is the way it is being a sinner in a sin filled world, there are just too many distractions and temptations. One way I'm working on getting back on track is getting back to writing my thoughts. I love to write things down and get them from my head into something intelligible that others could understand as well. By reflecting on my thoughts I can change my mood and get into the groove I want to have and carry with me. So today, for this wonderful day, I am writing to remind myself of how great each day is and improve my outlook on things, that I may do better today to glorify the God who made me the way I am.

Defining the Box

I would like to take this first post to define the box that I see a lot of us living in. The box is our final box, it is our coffin, we are born living inside it, dead in our sins and trespasses against God. It may not seem fair to be born this way, but it is the punishment for the first sin and for all subsequent sins, all of which we are capable of doing and all of which we are guilty for.

There originally was no box, no death, no seperation from God and there was no sin. It was by disobedience that sin was introduced into the world. So now, here we are, living our lives oblivious to the box we are entombed in. Or, at least that's the way it would have been for me. You see, someone opened my box and let in the light of life. The Lord, Jesus Christ was the one who did this, He spoke the words of life into my heart and freed me. He did this by dying and being buried and rising again on the third day so that He could ransom me and release me from my sins, thus opening my box. Because of His work I now have no debt to God and also have the same inheritance that He has. These great treasures are waiting for me, but I must first live life here, outside my box in a world that was beautifully made.