So I was suppose to meet my lovely friend at church today. It was her first time at the West campus but I woke up a little late and texted her a little frantically asking if it would be ok to go to the 11:15 service. She said that was no problem at all. Ok...good...no biggie....we just go to the later service, right? Well it wasn't that easy. For whatever reason I was feeling guilty and thinking things like:
"What if she had something to do after and now she's waiting on you."
"It's her first time on this side of town and you go and wake up late."
"If you just went to bed at an earlier time, you wouldn't of woken up late in the first place."
I mean the guilt kept coming and coming and there really was no reason for it. So I go to take the dogs out for their morning walk and all of a sudden God starts speaking to me and says:
"Theresa. When you make a mistake or you are going through something rough, how do your friends treat you?"
I responded:
"Well God...they are loving and comforting and they help me to work things out."
"So if I made you in my image, what makes you think I am any less than those characteristics?"
I tell you...I stopped in my tracks and literally let out a "D'OH!" I got it. All this time I thought I understood God's love and forgiveness but I really didn't. I always knew He was forgiving and that He forgot our sins once we asked for forgiveness but in the back of my head, I would always think,"Well, now I won't be blessed with that." or "I deserve to have that go wrong because I was an idiot about this other thing." That's not how God works and He took this one little thing to show me that is not how He is. If my friends who are human and make mistakes themselves sit and listen with me and talk things out with me so that I can move on and even hug me when I done something stupid (whether it be on a big or small scale), then what makes me think God who is all perfect, all mighty, the creator of all, treat me in a different manner.
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the prescence of the Lord." Acts 3:19
But the lesson didn't stop there.
I go on with walking the dogs and I see the mama duck with her ducklings (who are more teenage ducks now). There they were, just chilling out on the grass. Enjoying the warm sun. The mama duck was keeping an eye on us though making sure her babies weren't going to be harmed. The dogs did make a movement that gave her some concern because she jumped in the water and her babies followed right after. I watched as they swam by. She was leading her little pack and then all of a sudden she pulls back and allows her ducklings to swim a little bit ahead with her watching them. At that moment I saw God's lesson.
There we are, having a little fun in the sun. Enjoying what God has made but safe under his watch. If something seems threatening, He is quick to move us to a safer spot and we follow Him, trusting He knows best. Then as soon as He thinks we are in a good place, He backs off a little so that we can continue to enjoy His creation but still having His eye on us. Even if we stray off and get a little roughed up, He brings us back to the pack for His safekeeping.
"I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills-
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber of sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and
your coming in
From this time forth, and even forever more."
Psalm 121:1-8
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