12 Dec it is Him
After my {ahem…humble} admission to fence-sitting a friend text me much encouragement.
His words were incredibly gracious and I am thankful to have people like him around in my life.
Part of what he said though, was that he was renaming my blog post from Tuesday “it’s Him.”
To which I thought, “why didn’t I think of that?!” It’s brilliant, short, simple, sweet, and so much catchier than my i-love-words-way-too-much title.
Anyways, I began thinking…
It is Him.
It’s Him.
It. Is. Him.
The good. The inspiration. The positive life flow. The love. The smile from a stranger. The promotion. The safety. The provision. The notgetting into a car accident when traveling in Atlanta. The kind cashier. The random compliment from a stranger. Things working out just the way you wanted them to. Or—even better—things working out better than you could have planned.
It’s Him.
It’s not me. It is not you. It is not mere coincidence.
It is Him.
The other day I shared some exciting news with a friend and, to the pouty-eyed this news may have seemed inconsequential, but to me it was a God sighting!
The evidence of God intimately at work in my life.
Her response:
“Emily, God is just showing up so big right now in your life and giving you eyes to see. It is beautiful!”
And it is.
What I have been pondering though, is the filter through which God has given me. What a gift! To see and know that He is at work.
{Let me be very clear: I am not a saint who is just more blessed with God’s presence and wisdom. No. Quite the contrary. I am just a broken, recovering perfectionist, raggamuffin, desperately seeking the will of God. [Because my way crashed and burned, remember?]}
God is orchestrating. He is whispering. He is speaking. He is moving mountains. He is.
And I’ve been given eyes to see!
Remember those pesky wandering Israelites I love to talk about? Well they wandered and moved and stopped as God instructed, yes? They had no other choice…except maybe to return to slavery. Which they contemplated.
This is where God has me. Isn’t this where God has many of us? Is this not where we live while here on Earth? In waiting for the Promised Land?
Anyways…since I feel (and am aware) that, on my own, I am paralyzed and clueless as to which direction to turn, what project to focus on, which people to invest in, or what the “right” choices are…I am looking for Him in order to know.
It’s the only way.
And I wonder…what if we all did this? What if we all desperately sought after having eyes to see the fingerprints of God, not just in the major life decision moments, but in the movements of everyday life?
I mean…there is the possibility that this is how we’re “supposed” to always live right? Completely trusting God in every season, entirely, whole-heartedly.
But we’re Americans. We all have the “right” to the American dream right? (If you can precisely define that dream for me, The Millenial, I would be utterly impressed.) And if we just pick up our boot straps and work hard enough we will make it happen. Right? Right!!….?
Well…maybe. But probably not. Self-sufficiency is a myth. (More on that some other time.)
What if everyday you considered the hassle, the traffic, the phone call, the meeting, the “coincidences” of life a gift from God?
You can argue that they are or are not actual gifts from God all day long.
For the moment, that’s irrelevant.
What you cannot argue with though (well, I am sure someone somewhere could, but I shall persevere…) is how radically your perspective, your attitude, and you heart would change with such a shift.
Stop worrying so much. Stop being so grumpy. Stop believing that the world is out to get you. Or, even worse, that God is against you.
The Truth is: He adores you and He has amazing things in store for you.
(To my sweet friends in hard seasons right now. I know this probably sounds like a slap in the face. But I assure you it is not. And I have sat (well I think I more rolled around and wallowed) in the depths of pain you are in right now. So I can promise you…hold on, He is still with you, and He does still have good things for you. There is a promise in your perseverance.)
Look for them. Look for the love notes. Look for HIM. The stranger who picks up your pen that you dropped at the bank; The woman who is incredibly kind and happy when you must call customer service; The man who rings up your groceries and looks into your eyes and smiles warmly not judgmentally even though your kids are screaming and crying and having a torrential melt down over “needing” that one stupid toy at the checkout that is only there to entice such a meltdown.
Those are all gifts. God wants you to see them. He wants you to know:
You are taken care of and deeply cherished.
It’s Him.
“Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds…
Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Matthew 6:25,33
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