More Than What Meets The Eye
Cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, bill paying. Activities, events, obligations. Parties, celebrations. Hard times, sad times, grieving times.We get to experience all of it at some point in our lives. And often we may feel alone in the hard times. Like no one has ever been there. No one has experienced how hard it is. No one understands what it’s like to not get along with your husband the way you do. No one understands how it feels when this friend always leaves you out.
We so easily look at the surface of things. We look with our natural eyes at our circumstances, base our feelings off of what we see and make decisions based on those observations.
We can get so upset sometimes. It may feel like things will never change with our finances, with difficult relationships within our family.
But God has opened my eyes to some great truths lately. Through my mentor, His Word and several pastors I have learned a new perspective.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12
There is more to life than what meets our physical eye. If you could close your eyes and envision God. Think of Him on the throne. Try to imagine Heaven, even though our imagination would not be able to see it as it is. Imagine bowing down before Him. Because He is God. That’s why we bow. But even still, He deserves it. He has loved us with a never ending love. He has purchased us who are believers by the blood of His Son. If we knew God and what He is really like, we would have no problem bowing down to Him, worshiping Him for all eternity.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
He doesn’t want people to perish. But they do. Everyday. And we go about life. We do our activities, we meet obligations, we do all this ‘stuff’ we think we need to do. We do things we like, things we enjoy. We sometimes have arguments, we have situations where there may be constant strife. But do we realize this battle we fight is NOT against the flesh and blood before us? This life we live, that there’s more than what meets the eye?
Get ready for this my friends. Yes you mothers who are constantly wiping things, cleaning and cooking. Doing things that seem mundane.
There is a supernatural realm.
This life we live is incredibly short. Go ahead ask your parents. Ask your grandparents. Ask the oldest person you know.
Life is short.
Eternity is forever.
And I have been questioning a lot of things and questioning how I spend my time. I have been questioning the ‘system of life.’ And doing it like most people do.
Is this God’s vision for me? For my family? That the children must learn to read at this age, multiplication at this age? That they must go to college? That they must make a lot of money? That they need to meet certain milestones at certain ages, for if they don’t???
Is it true to be successful and insure our children are successful, must we follow societies timeline, values and morals? Dare I say even Christian society?
But then I go back to God’s vision for my family. God’s definition of success.
The great men and women of the Bible who were ‘successful’ were the ones who listened to God. And their success didn’t always match the world’s definition.
Ok, so wait. Before they even knew what to do, they had to listen for His voice.
Well golly, if that’s important am I practicing that in my life? Am I teaching my children how to listen for God’s voice? How do I teach them to do this?
We cannot as believers afford to miss His voice. And the way I know how to do this is to get quiet myself. Put away the empty stuff, let go of social activities sometimes. Say no to a TV show, the internet, my text messages and get away with God. Open the Bible, quiet my heart and listen. Let’s be real. As moms we don’t get a lot of time to ourselves, but I’m willing to say if we offer to Jesus what we do have, He can multiply the results and bless it.
He says:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1
Meditating, chewing on the Word day and night. That’s the blessed one. That is the person who will be green and thriving. That is the person who will prosper. That’s the person who can start living in the supernatural. The one who can see that the quarrels, mishaps, the hard things aren’t from the flesh of others. It’s from the enemy. And therefore, we can handle those things accordingly.
We don’t have to succumb to the lie that what goes on between myself and my friend or husband or family member is really about US. It’s deeper. It’s in the supernatural realm. And the good news, as believers we have the authority to speak to situations, and command the mountain to move. And it must listen!
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7
You want to have direction for your life? Do you want direction for your family? Do you want to know what His vision is? Do you want to know how your fit into His plan for the world at large?
Get alone with Him. Quiet your heart. Listen for His voice. Then GO WITH IT!
So you make a mistake, maybe you don’t hear Him right. We can have confidence that He will work it together for our good. He’s a good Father. As we tune our hearts to His voice, you can bet He will lovingly guide us like a good Shepherd. So what are you waiting for? Find some quiet time, meditate on His Word, and then walk confidently as He leads you step by step.
