Recently I
have been learning some good lessons on appreciation. Not only is it beneficial
to show appreciation, both to God and people, but there are ways to show
appreciation that unite our heart, soul, and mind, and express ourselves
through both sides of our brain at the same time!
This morning’s
experience of appreciation came as a pleasant surprise. I was expressing my
thankfulness to God for the ways we can approach him as little children, coming
to a Father who does not expect us to think through our whole lives ahead of
time. As soon as the first thought popped into my head, I could almost feel a
fresh connection between the left and right sides of my brain.
The left-side
thought was the fact of the matter, that God does not place on his children the
demand to think everything through in advance in order to keep him from being
angry. The right-side thought, perhaps like a slight echo of emotion responding
to the left-side information, was that something inside me suddenly felt
different.
At first I was
going to thank God for letting such things settle into my heart (in that soul,
mind, all-inclusive kind of way). However, no sooner had that thought walked
onto center stage, when I realized that God had been working on this for quite
a while. It was as though I discovered the lesson at the same
time I realized I have already been learning the lesson.
From
the viewpoint of caring for children, I think of my perspective of teaching the
same lesson repeatedly before a child ever clues-in that we have been teaching
the lesson at all. I can see how it now feels from the child’s view, where
suddenly a corner is rounded and we arrive somewhere distinctive, realizing
that we have been traveling there the whole time.
At
this point, the initial experience of surprise appreciation began growing. I
felt appreciation for the fact that God had been surrounding me with a kind of
love and care that surpasses anything I have ever received anywhere else. At
the same time, he was leading me to know that he was doing this work, and that he
was distinctly different from anyone else.
The
reason God does not expect me to think through everything that might happen to
me, all the scenarios I could face in a day, and strategize plans to handle
anything that could happen, is that it is a distinctly “parent” responsibility.
Not that a human parent can possible think through everything, and have plans
for everything. Rather, it is more like a parent’s responsibilities to have to
think of the things that could happen, and what we might do about them. It is
up to the parents to think about fire-safety plans, paying bills, caring for
cars and houses, budgeting for food, clothing, and shelter needed for their
children.
In
the same way, there are things about life that are God’s responsibility, not
mine. And, while I might wonder why he does not work things out to greater
advantage from my viewpoint, the reality is that he is the one who has already
planned a perfect plan, and he is the one carrying out the one supreme plan
that overrides all the other plans and purposes of man.
God
has put his glory and honor on display, showing us his eternal power and divine
nature in the things he has made.[1] Our studies of the universe and all the things we see around us
affirm that whoever made these things is a complete genius. And, when we add to
what we see around us, the heavens that declare the glory of God,[2] this wonderful fact that he is also taking care of this whole
universe, coordinating its times and seasons to bring about his plans and
purposes, he is glorified beyond our thoughts and words for his supreme
knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and his care for us within all the other
things he does.
And
then he calls us his treasured possession,[3] the sheep of his pasture,[4] his sons,[5] his beloved children,[6] to assure our total being, inside and out, that we do not need to
worry about the things that are his responsibility. Not only is this the right
answer, it is also the right experience. When we “know” in the way the Bible
talks about knowing, we come to experience what it is like to be God’s beloved
children living under the watch-care of a Father who is looking after
everything.
Not
only do I not need to worry about tomorrow’s troubles,[7] but I do not need to worry about how my Father feels about me as I
grow up to be like Jesus. It is not my job to figure out the next degree of
glory he has in mind for my transformation.[8] I just have to be his kid, and rest in him being my Father. He’s
got my back, as the say.
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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