Chapter
7 – Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?
I
will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you
with My eye. (Psalm 32:8)
I’m one of those people who require my own, personal space. I’ve
never been comfortable when people stand so close to me that I can feel and
smell their breath as they speak with me. (I guess Sheldon comes by some of his
sensory problems honestly!) As you can tell from the picture above, Sheldon
doesn’t mind getting up close and personal! One of the biggest adjustments I’ve
had to make as Sheldon has gotten older is getting used to the lack of the personal
space I have when he’s around.
Sheldon doesn’t understand social norms and expectations, and
personal space means nothing to him. I’ve often woke up to a little nose
touching mine, with a smiling little face behind it. When I eat certain foods,
he’ll stick his nose to my lips so that he can smell what I’m eating. He’ll
pull me up to him, and snuggle my chin into his chest so that he can look
through the lenses of my glasses from a different angle. Sheldon’s an up close
and personal guy with people he’s familiar with, so much so that it’s sometimes
startling! It’s taken me quite some time to get comfortable with having someone
so physically close to me all the time.
One afternoon as he was watching a sign language movie, he climbed
into my lap, turned my head to the side, and came so close to my glasses that
he left nose prints. My first instinct was to jerk away and clean the print off
of my lens, because again, Sheldon gets some of those sensory problems
honestly, but I stopped myself and watched him. I realized that he was watching
the movie in the reflection on my glasses.
As he stared intently at the movie playing in my lenses, he
exhaled deeply, and his breath blew across my face. I would have normally found
this offensive, but instead, it got me thinking…
Get Up
Close and Personal With God
In Psalm 32:8, God says that He’ll guide us with his eye. Have you
ever stood a block away from someone as they tried to tell you something? You
can barely hear their shouts or interpret their movements, let alone see what
they are doing with their eyes! As Sheldon’s nose pressed against my glasses, I
realized that in order for us to be able to see God’s eyes, we must not only be
facing directly towards Him, but we also need to be standing nose to nose with
God. When we are up close and personal with God we remove all of the things
that keep us from hearing His voice clearly and seeing His eyes directly.
It sounds so simple, yet sometimes finding God’s will and being
certain that it’s His can be a daunting task! We discussed earlier how praise
and thanksgiving can help us draw closer to God, but how can we truly be
certain that we are on the right path? How do we know that the voice we hear is
God’s? How do we know that the breath we feel blowing across our face is truly
His?
Have a Little Talk with Jesus
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this
great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned
aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:3-4)
Moses worked for his father-in-law, Jethro. Moses’ job
was vital to the prosperity of the family. By maintaining a large, healthy herd
of sheep, Moses was helping Jethro keep food on the table and warm clothes
available for the family to wear. Tending sheep was a time-consuming job. Not
only did a shepherd have to constantly survey the horizon for possible
predators, but they also had to steer errant sheep back into the safety of the
fold.
The safety of each and every one of his sheep was at
the forefront of Moses’ mind as he led his sheep through Horeb that day. He was
focused on business until a bush caught his attention. This wasn’t just any
bush - it was a bush that burned yet was never consumed. Moses could have
shrugged his shoulders and went back to his sheep, but Moses chose to step away
from the career that was so vital to his family and inquire about an unusual
bush. What Moses found was God.
If we want to ascertain that something truly is God’s will,
doesn’t it just make sense that we should go directly to the source first and
ask the King himself? God doesn’t always get our attention in such a grand
way as a burning bush, but God does speak to us by the situations He places us
in and through the people around us. Often we are too caught up in our own
lives to hear His voice.
Many people struggle as I do with this aspect of
prayer. As I mentioned earlier in this book, I often went to God with a laundry
list of my problems, but I didn’t really have a conversation with Jesus, my
friend. I found it difficult to think of the Most High God as a friend of a
mere human like me, but the Bible presents a very different picture.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command
you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his
lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of
my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:13-15)
Jesus is your friend. Think about it. That is a pretty
bold statement. Jesus, the Son of God whose death made your eternal life
possible, is your friend. He chose you. He chose to die for you so that you
could escape the terrors of hell. What a spectacular thought! Not only is He
your friend, but the next verse of scripture goes on to say that Jesus chose
you to be His friend. Isn’t that amazing?
When you enter into your time of prayer, remember to
have a conversation with Jesus, your friend. A conversation involves two-way
communication. That means that not only should you speak with God, but your
prayer time should always include time for Him to respond. You may not hear an
audible voice, but God may answer in a scripture, a thought, a word upon your
heart, song lyrics that suddenly run through your mind, or any number of other
ways. Take time to listen to God’s response. You might be surprised at the
number of ways God can speak to you besides a burning bush!
This time spent in conversation with Jesus, our
friend, is vital in another very important way. As we spend more time in the
presence of God, we become more aware with how His immediate presence affects
our spirits. I don’t know how He does it, but once you “know” you are in the
presence of God, it’s a feeling you will never forget. God is with us at all
times, but when we’re nose-to-nose with this very special friend, it’s a
feeling we will immediately recognize. When you are looking for God’s will,
standing in His presence is an excellent place to begin.
Spend Time in the Playbook
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalms 119:105)
Sometimes in life we face difficult decisions that
could potentially alter the course of our lives forever. Choosing a spouse,
changing careers, deciding how to raise a child, deciding where to live, and
finding the church home that God wants you in are just a few examples of the
difficult decisions that we face each and every day.
God does not leave us here on earth without guidance
as to how we should live our lives. He doesn’t leave us in the middle of a
difficult situation and say, “See ya later! Good luck finding your way out of
this mess!” God provided us with a playbook for handling life’s situations -
the Bible. The scriptures in this book were designed to be a light for you to
follow. They were designed to help you find your way through His will.
How can scriptures help guide you through decisions?
Try taking the decision you are facing right now, and prayerfully weighing your
options against scripture. If an option disagrees with the Word of God, that’s
a red flag that it probably isn’t the right choice. If a choice is supported by
scripture, take it to the Lord in prayer to see if that is the direction He
wants you to take.
The
acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I
warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God.
But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let
us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:19-26)
This passage in Galatians is the key to all sorts of situations!
When you are faced with a decision, trying to decide if something is in the
will of God, or just evaluating where you stand in your relationship with
Christ, these passages hold the answer. The first set of verses (19-21) gives us
general guidelines by which to describe things that are "of the
flesh" (aka...not God!). The second set (22-26) provides a list of the
fruits of the Spirit (aka...GOD!).
Most of us memorize the fruits of the Spirit as children, but I
encourage you today to memorize the fruits of the flesh as well. When you
have a solid understanding of the two extremes, you will gain wisdom on how to
move forward with your current situation. Place any situation against the flesh
or the fruits. Which path will your decisions lead to? God or flesh?
Not only can these verses help us to decided which path is God’s,
but they can also provide a “meter” of sorts that will help us see how close we
are truly standing to God, by evaluating the fruit that we are producing in our
own lives.
When was the last time you took inventory on the fruit in your
life? I’m not talking about bananas or apples, or even those "crazy"
people in our lives that we love the most...spiritual fruit? Have you taken
time to honestly evaluate where you are spiritually?
Sometimes it's helpful to pause every once in a while and see what
kind of fruit our lives are producing. Is your heart full of jealously, hatred,
resentment, selfishness or self-destruction? While it’s perfectly normal to
feel these emotions from time to time, it’s not a good sign if this is the kind
of fruit you are sharing with those around you. If you feel like you are
impacting those around you in a negative manner, perhaps it’s time to return to
Chapter 3 and draw close to God through praise and thanksgiving.
At the other end of the spectrum, can you honestly say that you
live a life EACH DAY that is overflowing with love, joy, peace, forbearance
(patience), kindness, goodness, & faithfulness? I can't! I like to think
that I’m a masterpiece in progress…
Most of us fall somewhere in-between. We bear God’s fruit and
fleshly fruit at the same time. We are all human, and we all make mistakes.
Again, since God alone is perfect, I’m pretty sure that Jesus was the only
human to walk the earth that exuded true spiritual fruit every moment that He
lived here. Since imperfection is a part of our design, we need to really focus
on which direction the scale is tipping and do our best to ensure that as much
Godly fruit as possible is being produced in our lives.
Make
His Word Personal
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee. (Psalms 119:11)
This verse reminds us that we should not only read and
study the word of God but we should also make it an integral part of who we
are. Not only are we to use the Bible as a playbook for godly living, but we
are also supposed to hide it in our hearts for protection. By keeping scripture
memorized and hidden in our hearts, we can avoid sin and confront temptations
at a moment‘s notice. We draw closer to the eyes of God by using His word to
remove the sin that could separate us from him.
Scripture itself doesn’t keep us sin-free. It’s when
the Spirit of God brings that scripture to our attention during a time of
temptation that it is a useful weapon. To help us avoid the temptations Satan
lays before us, scripture shows us how God would want us to handle the tempting
item. Satan is a crafty snake, and he often strives to make sin look as
tasteful and harmless as possible. By keeping scripture in our hearts, we can
identify Satan’s sneaky plans immediately and avoid falling into sins’ snare.
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word
was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O
Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)
How much do you
truly enjoy your time in God’s word? In these verses, Jeremiah’s passion for
the word of God is abundantly clear. He “ate” of God’s word, and his heart
rejoiced at God’s holy words. Are you so hungry for the word of God that you
could devour it?
Often we have “ah ha” moments as we study the Bible,
but spending time in God’s word is difficult for many people. An “ah ha” moment
is that moment while reading scripture that you get goose bumps up and down
your spine because you know that God selected that verse just for you today. In
that moment, that passage finally makes sense. More than that, it becomes very
personal in your life.
How quickly we forget our “ah ha” moments in God’s
word, and begin to drag our feet about spending time study scripture! It’s not
enough just to read God’s word. It’s really even not enough just to make it a
part of who we are. To truly draw close to God, we need to develop a hunger for
the things of God. We need to passionately immerse ourselves in His Word, His
Will, and His Ways. We need to pray for a hungry heart like Jeremiah’s. We need
to pray for a hunger that can only be filled by consistent, daily reading of
the Bible and filling of our spirits. Spending time each day with God only
draws us closer to Him. It pulls us face to face with the One who made us.
GO!
GO! GO!
But
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone
is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural
face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets
what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
does. (James 1:22-25)
When you are near Sheldon and you hear the words, “Ready, set,
GO!” you’d better be prepared for him to take action. If there is an object in
his hand, it will immediately be launched into the air. If he’s leaned over on
one leg, he will take off running at the sound of “GO!”, and if you are in the
path, I promise he will move you!
There is no “half-way” with Sheldon. Maybe it’s because he sees
the world in “black and white”, or maybe it’s because he has an amazing
capacity to focus with single-minded determination, but when Sheldon is
committed to doing something he will do it. Immediately.
He has two modes – on and off. There are no in-betweens.
God gives us the same command here in the first chapter of James.
When we know the next step in His will for our lives, He expects us to take it.
And when He reveals the step after that and the step after that, He expects us
to take them as we continue pressing on towards His goal.
See
It Through
I remember the first time I heard Sheldon sing a couple of words
to “Jesus Loves Me.” It was one of the most joyous days of my life. I didn’t
know if he would ever be able to really sing or not, since his language was so
limited, but it was important to me for Sheldon to know that God loved him. It
took four years of singing it to Sheldon at bedtime before I was blessed to
hear, “Yesh, Geeshus wuvs me!”
After I left his bedroom that night, I sat down on the couch and
cried tears of joy. Four years of labor had finally paid off. I personally
couldn’t tell whether or not Sheldon was learning the song or not. He always
stared at his fingers or made shadows in the night light on the wall as I sang.
I felt as though I was singing for my own comfort most nights, because Sheldon
showed no signs of catching on. I had no idea that step by step, inch by inch,
God was bringing about results in that little man’s life.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal
life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession
before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)
Have you noticed that when you start something new,
you are so excited that you can hardly focus on anything else, but after a
little time has passed, the newness has worn off, and that task is now regarded
as ordinary or even old? Sometimes this same thing happens as we do God’s will.
In the beginning it is new, fresh, and exciting, but after a while the
responsibility seems to wear us down and become monotonous. Perhaps we face
unexpected mountains or get frustrated because we don’t see the results that we
expected to see from God. We sometimes feel that maybe it would just be easier
to quit and start all over again.
This verse reminds us that sometimes doing the will of
God is a fight (usually against the constant attacks of Satan), but it goes on
to describe it as a good fight of faith. God never promised we’d enjoy smooth
sailing as we do His will. What He did promise is that He’ll be with us every
step of the way, even into eternity, and that the fight we’re facing isn’t
useless. As long as we are standing nose-to-nose with Jesus, we can find peace
in the knowledge that even if we don’t “see” results immediately, we can still
know that we are doing what’s right in His sight. We’ll know it’s in His sight
when we can see into His eyes and feel His breath blowing across our cheeks.
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