Well, the ice came but, as you can tell, there was no loss of power here (Praise God! I really mean that because I have an electric stove). But with the ice came about an inch of snow. Now, down south here, that is A LOT of snow. In fact, the lack of snow and ice is one of the reasons I live down south. With two artificial hips, it just isn't any fun anymore.
I have to tell you about Squirt when she went out this morning. Now we are talking about as 65-70 lb., 18-month-old "puppy" who has never seen snow. I couldn't go outside to experience this first hand, but I was watching from the picture window as my husband took her outside. She first had to smell the snow to try to identify what it was. When she raised her head, she had snow all over her muzzle. That's when she got excited. She began running back and forth at full tilt just like she was running ladders. Then she picked up her "stick" (6 ft. long, about 3 in. in circumference) and began running with it with the pure, unadulterated joy of one who has found something new and exciting,
I remember when I first came to know the Lord. I ran back and forth telling everyone about the wonderful new thing that had happened. I had the glow of a believer all over my face and no burden or obstacle was too much for me to handle. I lived in a state of perpetual joy and wonder at this new life God had given me.
Where has all the enthusiasm gone? I was 27 when I came to know the Lord and now I am soon to be 53 and I can tell you that the enthusiasm I had at 27 is not there. Oh, I still love the Lord and am constantly in His Word, but the joy seems to have worn off more than a little. I have allowed it to become a very comfortable (comfortable for me, not God) relationship. Where do I go to get it back?
In Revelation 2: 4-5a, it tells me that the church at Ephesus had the same problem and the Lord tells them, "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works".
I need to go back to where I left it and start over from there (kind of like my car keys). The wonderful thing is that God allows "do overs". He allows me to go back to where I lost my enthusiasm and pick up from there the joy of my salvation. He loves me enough to allow me to repent of my sins and come back to Him.
This reminds me of a story I once heard a preacher tell. There was this older couple riding to town in their pick up truck. The wife was complaining, "We just aren't romantic anymore. We don't hold hands, you don't open doors for me, and most of all, we don't sit next to each other when we go to town anymore. Yep, I guess the romance is gone." The husband had patiently listened to his wife's complaints and with a thoughtful look replied, "Honey, who moved over?"
If we are feeling far away from God, all we have to do is move back over close to Him. He's always been there waiting for us to come back to our first love and to do the repenting we need to do to go back to doing the first things, just like we did when we were first saved. I think I going to go now and begin scooting back over towards God.
No comments:
Post a Comment