Devotional--Work, Part V

2 Samuel 7:4-7

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’
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  Sometimes, in our work, we think we have it all figured out.  We think we know the direction we're supposed to go, the exact next step of our journey, the way God is leading us.  Sometimes we are so certain that it feels as though God has put up neon signs to direct our feet.

  And then, it turns out we're wrong.  And that's ok.  You're not the first one that has happened to.

  David was certain that he needed to build a temple for the Ark, for the glory of God.  He believed with all his heart that this was the right thing to do, the next step in his life, in his work as king.

  But God said 'no.'  God had other plans for David.

  And sometimes God has other plans for you.

  It doesn't mean God doesn't love you.  It doesn't mean that God doesn't want you to work as hard as you can, with passion and commitment in all your labors.  It simply means that sometimes God will close a door, sometimes very directly.  I believe that whenever God does, God will direct us elsewhere, and give us another path to wander.

  Sometimes it will feel like our work has been wasted--but God is using it all, building us, building the Kingdom of God through us.  So when God says 'no', do not be frustrated, but rather recognize that God will place something new in the world for you, and God will continue to use you for God's glory.

Blessings

Devotion--Work, Part IV

Exodus 20:8-11

8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9For six days you shall labour and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
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  When we talk about work, we have to remember to talk about sabbath, about balance, about rest.  If we work constantly and never rest, our vision becomes distorted, and we lost perspective.

  I suppose I should confess that I am terrible at resting.  Rather than take Friday and Saturday off, I usually end up working in some mode.  Sabbath doesn't come naturally to me.

  In today's world, I don't think it comes naturally to any of us.  We have tuned our lives so that we will work constantly, trying to 'get ahead', believing that if we stop working, if we stop moving, all the balls we have up in the air will come crashing down around us.

  When we take sabbath, when we experience holy rest, we stop and remember that only the Lord can save us, that all of life belongs to God and that He will care for us.  We don't have to do everything ourselves.  In Sabbath, we are recharged, rejuvenated, re-aligned with our perspective.  When we take holy rest, we are reminded that our primary purpose is to glorify God, not to get ahead in the world.

  Sabbath doesn't have to look the same for everyone.  Do what is gloriously enjoyable for you.  Just remember to take sabbath, to be recharged and rest in the Lord's favor.

Blessings

The Dentist

  Do you know how awkward it is when you're at the dentist and they keep asking you questions, while at the same time jamming as many different and varied instruments as possible into your mouth as though it were a competition with cash prizes?  I've always wondered if it were possible for a visit to the dentist to be more awkward than the one where I'm constantly trying to elucidate complex sentences in grunts and groans.

  I've now discovered that, yes, it is possible.  What could be more awkward?

  A visit to the dentist where the hygienist spends an inordinate amount of time with her hands and various dental instruments shoved in your mouth and yet, in that time, says nothing to you.

  Strange.

  Perhaps it started poorly.  When I walked into the area with the dental chair, I was somewhat astonished to find a television back there showing some sort of daytime talk show.  (Are any of them different?)  The hygienist handed me the remote, telling me I could find something I liked, and then turned around to enter something into a computer.  I knew exactly what I wanted from the TV.  I lifted the remote, clicked the 'off' button, and was greeted by the blissful blank screen.  I don't need television intruding into the dental chair.  The hygienist seemed a bit surprised when I handed her back the remote and explained that I didn't like television.  Maybe that's why she didn't speak to me.  Or, perhaps I'm simply not very interesting.  (A high possibility)  Either way, it was beyond awkward to have someone spend that much time staring into my mouth and say nothing.

  I just thought I'd share that.  Who doesn't love hearing stories about other people's dental visits?

Simply Amazing