I Saw God!

I saw God! Seriously. I saw Him, not just once but, several times. And He even spoke to me!

This weekend we went to a couple of dance recitals for some of Carl's students. I watched the children as they came out onto the stage all dressed up in their dance costumes, glitter on their little faces and their hair fixed just perfectly. Radiant smiles on their faces. I watched as they came out and danced as if they were totally enveloped in the music. They danced with their hearts and my heart danced. And as I watched them I saw God. He was in the form of those little dancers. And he said to me, "Here I am."

Sunday morning, during church, the children came up for their children's time. When they saw the balloons, their little eyes lit up. Their eyes sparkled as they told me about their favorite balloon games and widened with excitement when the I blew up the balloon in front of them. And as they bowed their little heads to pray, I saw God. He was in the closed eyes and little folded hands of those children. And He said, "Here I am."

This morning, as I walked into the hospital at 6:00, I looked up and saw the most beautiful orange and yellow glow on the horizon. I stopped for a moment to try to take in the beauty of the sunrise and at that moment, I saw God. He was in the beauty of the new day. And He said to me, "Here I am."

Our hospital has glass windows all around the perimeter. The NICU is on the third floor. About 10:00 am, I looked out the window and saw the brilliant blue sky with the pillow white clouds that looked as though you could blow them away with just one small breath. My co-worker Judy and I both paused to admire the beauty and there, once again, I saw God. His handiwork decorated the sky. And He said, "Here I am."

A couple of hours later a brand new baby came in. Just minutes old. I watched as his proud daddy looked on with tears in his eyes. I listened as this new life cried with protest at having to leave his warm, quiet home of the past several months. And soon, he stopped crying. He opened his eyes and stared at me as if he was looking into my soul. And I SAW GOD!! This new life that was created perfectly and unique to any other one in the entire universe. He was beautiful. And God said to me, "Here I am."

I saw God! I heard His voice. He is here! Can you seen Him?

REST

Today I have felt like I was carrying around a body made of concrete. I slept 10 hours last night and wanted to go back to bed an hour after I got up. It seemed to take an enormous amount of energy just to get showered and dressed. Ironically, I woke up with a scripture on my mind "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28). It was on my mind all day. Over and over again those words kept coming into my head.

My dear friend and I met for prayer and devotions for a little while in the afternoon and I was telling her how tired I was but how hard it was for me to rest or sleep in the middle of the day. When I was growing up, that was called "lazy". So I try to push through the exhaustion, not wanting to give in to it. And as I was telling her that, it suddenly occurred to me why God was giving me that particular verse today.

How much clearer did He have to make it for me? He was trying to tell me to come to Him and rest. It's not being lazy. It's allowing Him to give me the physical strength I need to fight this battle by getting the rest I need.

It's funny how the Holy Spirit speaks to us. How He gives us just the right scripture for just the right situation in our lives. It was no accident that I awoke with that scripture verse this morning and no accident that it played in my mind throughout the day. Nothing happens by accident when God is in charge of our lives.

And now I will come to Him and enjoy some much needed rest.

Is God Good All The Time?

Many times when someone experiences a blessing in their life, we hear the words "God is Good!" Someone who was very sick is healed and we hear "God is Good". An answer to prayer that we wanted brings a response of "God is Good. " An unexpected check comes in the mail and we say "God is so Good."

But what about the times we ask God for a miracle and don't get it? What about when a baby dies, a home is lost, a marriage falls apart or cancer strikes, then is God still good?

I love to think of God as a parent and I the child because it is so easy for me to relate to. When my children were small I wanted nothing more than to give them everything they asked for. But there were times when the answer just could not be "yes." When they wanted to go outside and play in the rain whilst lightning lit up the sky, my answer was no.

When they wanted to run the lawn mower before they were tall enough to see over the handle, the answer was "not now."

And, yes there were times when I had to sit by and watch them go through trials because I knew they needed to learn from it. It saddened me to have to see them hurt , but I had a bigger plan in mind for their lives. I knew that those trials would serve to help teach them and mold them into being the best that they could be.

I certainly made more than my share of mistakes along the way as a parent. But one thing I know, I love my children with all of my being. And my love for them doesn't begin to compare to the Father's love for us. "If you then, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matt: 7:11)

Jer. 29:11 tells us "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Just as I had a small plan for my children's lives, God has an even bigger plan for my life. When I ask Him to take this cancer away and He says not now, HE IS STILL GOOD. For He Has a plan for my life. One day I will know and understand the plan, but for now I can rest in the fact that "He has begun a good work in me and will be faithful to carry it on until completion." (Phillipians 1:6)

Yes, God is good all the time. He is good through hurt, through pain, through loss, through cancer, through chemo, even through death. He chooses to heal or not heal for His own reasons. All of His decisions come from His love for us and His love and goodness remain constant. He cannot love us any more or any less than He does at this very moment. He is Good and Faithful through every single obstacle we face!

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!