Max Lucado writes, "They didn't expect Jesus to come to them this way."
He's talking about the disciples on the sea in the storm when Jesus walked on the water and they thought he was a ghost (read that story here if you haven't read it for while).
I thought, what if we look for Jesus wherever we happen to be, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves? What if we opened our hearts and allowed ourselves to see Jesus come in unexpected ways rather than how we think He should?
Last night Pete and I made guacamole. We used two avocados, one small onion, a lime, salt, pepper and chili powder. It was delicious. He, Hawk and I ate it and a bunch of tortilla chips for supper. Hey, we also had grapes -- not exactly a balanced meal but still good for my boys.
Well, I wake up at midnight and those onions are talking to me, ruining my sleep and making me feel kind of off. I shouldn't have put so much onion in it but it sure tasted good. My reaction to onions never happened years ago. When did this start?
Proverbs 16:31 that, "Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-loyal life."
That probably goes along with digestive problems with onions.
A few days ago I lost my glasses. I take them off a lot because I cannot read with them on, but I need them for distance. I looked and looked. I began to panic. Driving is a necessary part of my life and if I don't have my glasses I can't drive. I told Pete I couldn't find my glasses. I was about to ask all my kids to pray for me and even post the prayer request on Facebook (Facebook is a great place to post prayer requests by the way).
And then I found them.
I've heard this happening to other people, but it had never happened to me. I thought it was a joke, a silly joke for a TV sitcom. How could people lose their glasses while they were on top of their heads?
It happens.
I was definitely humbled!
And then I laughed and shook my head.
I am only 48 years old and looking forward to being 50. I remember when I thought 50 was old, ancient even. Now it sounds like a very good age to be.
Summer time for me is kind of simple. Weeding and watering the garden and my flowers; hanging out with the kids; taking care of and reading to Hawk; riding horse; doing housework and writing letters; praying throughout the day; cooking, cleaning and always doing lots of laundry. Jesus is with me in all these simple tasks, in this simple life. Yesterday while working in the garden I noticed the first sweet corn shoots. I also noticed Peter Rabbit had eaten a pepper plant.
Jesus is in all this. And He's in all of the details of your life.
Paul writes in Ephesians 1:22, "He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church."
Tending to life's little chores -- no matter what your life is about, you do this too. Everyone's life has day-to-day tasks that need to be done for them to function.
And in these day-to-day tasks Jesus is there. I think I've written about this before, but it is something often on my mind. I believe our daily chores, the ones many people call "mundane," reflect God's work more than big and splashy acts do. For if we take a deep look at the world around us, most of God's work could be called mundane. The Free Dictionary says mundane means, "everyday, ordinary."
Another site also listed, "unimaginative" though I think our mundane tasks only become unimaginative when we see the tasks with a callous heart. God never is unimaginative.
Think of what God does daily: moving our earth around the sun; growing plants; feeding wild animals; giving each of us the air we need to breathe . . . you get the idea.
Let it go (go ahead and sing....). Let that stress go. The world isn't revolving around you. Jesus is in charge of absolutely everything. He's got this. Put those cares in the Father's hand and rest. He'll take care of it or He'll show you how to do it. There is absolutely no reason for you to worry.
Father God is so so so good. And He loves you. He really does.