How Did I Get Here?
Do you ever have those times when you just think: “Wow, how did I get to this place in my life?” Unfortunately most of us are so busy “doing life” that we seldom stop to ponder on our present place in life. This became more apparent as I prepared myself for my daughter’s first trip away for one week at the beach without me or her mother being with her. She is going with a good friend and is staying with her friend’s family (which we are fine with or she wouldn’t be going). I guess this circumstance made me stop and think how quickly she has grown up and how it will be even faster when I see her go to college, leave our home for good, get her own life, etc.
The question on my mind is HOW we got to this place so quickly? I know it makes me sound really old but it is still true that it seems like yesterday I was bringing this tiny little girl home from the hospital. This trip down nostalgia lane took me a little further. It made me really think about my present status in life. Am I where I thought I would be by this time? Am I in a position that will take me where I want to go for the rest of my life? What, if any, adjustments do I need to make? When? How? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
While these are all deep philosophical issues that people smarter than I can break down and explain, there are a few things I am aware of today that bring me great comfort and inner peace. For one, I know that the good things in my life (or the things I could say are positive, successful, etc.) are the result of an ‘Unseen Hand” guiding me — even when I wasn’t listening to Him or following willingly. Second, I know that the future is completely out of my control. I have a plan and a mental picture of where I’d like to go but I also know that making my plans a reality depend on God and not me. Finally, I know that God exists in the eternal present. I have never been able to CONNECT with God when I was burdened about the past or anxious about the future.
There is a discipline taught in the Bible called “Resting.” We all understand the need for physical rest but too few of us actually get the idea of a ’spiritual rest.’ It is not a cessation of activity; nor is it an excuse to not be ambitious. This restorative season comes in our lives when we clearly embrace where we are in life, realize that our good decisions and our bad ones did not get us here, and that our destination is in the hands of someone who loves us more than we could possibly imagine! Not to mention that He is so much better at getting us where we actually want to be anyway!
So, how did I get here? Only by God’s design. Have you thought about your “WHERE” lately? Imagine yourself in a state of complete rest, without a care or worry in this world. That is where you and I can live every day. It’s really not that hard actually. The One who alone can secure this place said it like this:
“Come to me everyone who is tired and weary and I will give you rest. Put all your weight on me because I can handle it, you can’t! Trust me, give me all your troubles and you will find the rest you are desperately searching for.” (My transliteration of Matthew 11:28-30)
Sorry but I gotta go and get back to my RESTING! Care to join me?
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