Turning Up the Heat

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy the hotter temperatures of summer. Living in northeast PA doesn’t always allow me to experience them, but this summer we are actually having a week of temps in the 90’s! Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Turning up the heat in life is not always associated with enjoyment, but these past few months that’s exactly what I believe God is doing in me. It’s not that anything new has come on the scene, but rather just a better focus about some current circumstances. These are times when it’s really good to focus on what is going on in yourself, rather than with everyone else around you; easier said than done. Yet in the midst of it God continues to reveal Himself in both small and large ways.

I was in Cleveland recently, meeting up with a former coaching friend who happened to be in town on other business. While there we visited the zoo. Some of the monkeys had their babies there in the exhibits with them. One in particular was a wonderful picture to me of God’s care and love for me. As we turned the corner to view one of the first exhibits, the mother and baby were both sleeping. For these creatures the normal sleeping habits were a bit different than our human ones. Both were in the limb of a tree (that in itself is different!), and the baby was held closely by the mother (sleeping with baby…not recommended for the human species ) The baby lay safely snuggled next to its mother, sleeping without any thought of danger or disruption from its rest. The mother too was asleep holding her young closely knowing she had it firm in her grasp and there was no cause for concern.

This is a great illustration to me of God’s role and desire for me In the midst of changing circumstances or times of upheaval in life. God has me firmly in His grasp. There is no reason for me to “stay awake”, or be concerned for possible dangers. He knows what those dangers are and will protect me from harm when that time comes. It is when I begin to squirm and become restless rather than settled in His arms that I become uncomfortable and am not allowing Him to do what He is wanting. His role is to protect me and provide, my role is to yield to that work and remain settled in His arms.

I think the bigger issue is that we don’t always trust God because He doesn’t measure up to our expectations, or the “good” talked about in Romans doesn’t always feel good. So the biggest issue is the trust factor. But it is a big issue because it is coupled with my desire for my own way. I don’t trust because I can’t be sure God will do what I like, or give me what I want, or come through when I need Him. The truth is, He can’t do anything else! We don’t trust because we have been let down or disappointed…at least that’s how we qualify it in our own minds. The reality is, God can’t be anything else than “God”. The real problem is my heart…all that squirming isn’t necessary. I really need to snuggle in close to Him and let Him do what He does best.

If this is hard stuff for you, I encourage you to learn more about the God you are so quick to question. He wants you to know Him. He longs for you to see Him as He truly is, and He delights in His children. We’ve got to get the right focus if we’re going to endure the heat of summer.