Lessons in Faith...

I was having a hard time sleeping the other night and God put it on my heart to read a little. I've been amassing a collection of books from the thrift store for awhile and until that night I hadn't made time to read any of them.

He led to me one about stories from the heart. This books contains snippets from various speakers and authors, some famous and some not so. I flipped to the section on Motivation.

I read the entire section and while all the stories resonated with me, two jumped out at me. One came back to me today.

*******

I volunteer for a local senior program in various capacities, one of which allows me to visit a client in their home and spend an hour with them once a week. I've recently been assigned a new person. We instantly clicked the first time we met. Today was our third visit.

While we discuss many things, all of our conversations come back to God. That's perfectly fine with me. He's the reason that I have time to spend with her after all! She is very insightful. She has had a trying time for that last several years, healthwise, which leads to learning faithwise.

Today, as we were walking the neighborhood, she asked a great question -

"If God has a part to do and I have a part to do, how do I know which part is mine?"

An answer instantly popped into my head.

"All of it is God's part. We're just His workers."

She hesitated briefly and asked her question again, this time stressing,

"Right but, what is MY PART? How do I know what I'm supposed to be doing and what I need to take care of?"

My answer again was,

"It's ALL God's. Our job is to be open to His will and do what He bids us to do. That's it! There is nothing else."

Her response,

"Right but, I can't just sit around waiting on God to take care of everything."

"I didn't mean sit around and do nothing. I just mean that it's our "job" to live our life in a way that whenever God calls us to assist Him, we do. Our job is to listen and follow the path that He sets before us."

Then this analogy came to me.

God is the Queen Bee. The Queen Bee is in charge of the hive. Wherever the Queen lands is where the hive is built. Her worker bees build the hive and wait for her to fill it with eggs. Once she has planted the "seeds" in the hive, the workers tend the eggs, feeding them and caring for them through the larva stage and until they're ready to become active members of the hive.

Worker bees serve. That's their only purpose in life. They take care of the hive and all of it's contents because the Queen needs them to do this work. She can't lay the eggs and tend to all of the work in a hive by herself and have the colony survive and thrive.

God put us here to work for Him, to tend His treasures and help grow and sustain His colony. That is our "job", our purpose in life. All of the rest is moot. When God calls us to serve, we should serve, because He asked. Without God the entire hive is in danger of dying off.

My new friend thought about that and digested it. When we arrived back at her home she talked to me about a lack of faith. What she got out of my thoughts was that she had a lack of faith where God was concerned. She prays many times a day, reads the bible regularly, and has been a Christian for well over 30 years. How on earth could she have a "lack of faith"?

Into my head pops one of the stories I'd read a few days ago. I read it. I liked it. I thought I'd understood it, until that moment. This is a synopsis of the story -

There was a pastor of a church in an area that was having a severe drought. There were hundreds of parishioners in his flock. Many were farmers and in desperate need of rain. The pastor decided to hold a special prayer meeting that coming week to pray for rain.

Preparations were made and the event was on schedule. The day arrived and the pastor was milling around the grounds. They had decided to hold the event outside and all of the chairs were set up and waiting. Something wasn't quite right. He couldn't put his finger on it.

People began arriving. They had a good turn out. Still, something was wrong. About that time the pastor noticed a little girl heading his way. He noticed her because she was carrying a large red umbrella. A smile came to his face. He began to look around at the crowd and the chairs. He knew exactly what was wrong.

No one ordered a tent. No one else brought an umbrella. You see, these people were gathering for a good reason. They were praying for a good reason. But, only the little girl had the faith that God would answer.

******

Two weeks ago I would've answered that question differently. These past few weeks have been a test in my faith. How far will I go? How far does my faith carry me? Do I fully trust in God to care for me when I'm on His missions?

I guess I haven't. I mean, I do at times but, when I'm cutting it close I try to take over the reigns and take control of the situation myself. The reigns aren't mine, they're God's.

I can go to church every Sunday, attend Bible study, volunteer at church, and memorize every line in the bible but, unless I open myself to His will and have faith in Him to guide my path I'm no better off.

Today, I have faith that God will answer and whatever answer He gives me will be the right one for my life. So, will you be the pastor or the little girl with the umbrella?

In a sea of e-mail this one hits home...

I am thankful:

For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing the dishes, because it means their at home, not on the streets.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work, because that means I'm out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because that means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me at church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been able to work.

For the alarm that goes off early in the morning, because it means I'm alive.

For the crazy people I work with, BECAUSE they make work interesting and fun!

For too much e-mail, because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

This list was in an e-mail I recently received from two good friends. It made me stop and think a moment. Some days, it's as if every little thing annoys me. I strive to find the best in situations (hey, one of my favorite movies is Pollyanna!) but sometimes it's not easy.

I'm glad someone sent me this e-mail as it will help keep me focused on the good things in my life. Although I will add one more thing that I'm so grateful for - My relationship with God, for without it none of these other things would have any meaning!

Blessings and God's peace to you and yours...