ILLUSIONS (and disillusions...)

Do you ever feel like you just can't see the forest for all the trees?

Like sometimes life just gets in the way?? And you can't seem to make any sense of it all... or find the way to where you want to be?

In the last several months, I have felt so disconnected spiritually. And it is extremely frustrating. To have such a close walk for awhile just to drift back to where you started, for me at least, has just left me disheartened on one hand, yet scrambling on the other.

I find myself (in true 'flesh form') wanting to just recreate it all. Or, 'if I could just find the right book, or hear the right song, or...' a million other possiblities - I could just get it back again. Obviously, that hasn't worked.

When, I think, all God really expects of me is to just keep my eyes on Him. Forget the rest. He'll uncover what I need for me as I need it.

I should know this. This isn't my first lesson in this. We've been through this all before. I'm so thankful that He's patient and not easily angered. I'm not exactly a quick study! :)

You know, going through some old "treasures" (mom has another name for them) in the basement a few months back, I came across a Magic Eye calendar I had in college. I don't know if you've ever seen or heard of Magic Eye, but it's a form of optical illusion where there's a 3-D picture inside of a design. It's not always easy. It takes some patience and concentration. And it really helps to almost look past all the confusion of the design at hand. And once you do, your focus is more able to pick up the true image and it's as real as ever!

(Here are a couple of examples...)

http://www.magiceye.com/gallery/071207s.html

http://www.magiceye.com/gallery/061407s.html

And I got to thinking... it's the same way with our relationship with God. You know He's right there somewhere, but when you spend so much time and energy focusing on what's right in front of you (or around you) you tend to lose your focus on Him. Which, if you're like me, leads to great frustration and confusion.

I heard someone say not too long ago (and I hate that I've forgotten who it was) - Are you looking at God through your circumstances? Or looking at circumstances through your God? I LOVE that!

Like I say, it's not always easy. It takes a lot of patience and concentration and effort on our parts, but how exciting when He shows up - real as ever!!!

(ps... if you are unable to uncover the 3-D pictures, click on the link below each one and it should direct you to the website I found these on... where it will show you what's hidden in the design!) :)

Waiting in Confident Humility

Jesus Calms the Storm (Matthew 8:23-27)

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

I just finished the book I've been reading "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get out of the Boat" by John Ortberg. And last night, as I was ending it out, I came across a part in it that just sort of stuck out to me. In the Chapter 'Learning to Wait', he talks about how as Christians, one of the hardest things to do is wait with 'confident humility'. ('Not so much confidence in myself as confidence in the One who sustains me.') And he brings into account the story of Jesus calming the storm. And how the disciples were all quite frantic, storm lashing them about, and here we find Jesus sleeping ???
Then Pastor Ortberg says that "it 'struck (him): There was one experience Jesus never had. He had experienced virtually every human emotion - sorrow, joy, pain. He had been tired, angry and hopeful. But there was one thing he never experienced: he was never frantic. He never panicked. And in that moment I realized that God is never desperate." He goes on to say "God's voice is never frantic. When you hear desperate thoughts, you can know that it is not God speaking. You can wait in confident humility."

What a good reminder!

(And if you need a good visual with this story, go check out Dianne's most recent post! For, we seem to be on the 'same page' once again!!) :)