Monday, October 12, 2009

In the Beginning...

With an hour to kill sitting in the bleachers at my daughter's gymnastics lesson, I decided it would be a good time to finish up my homework for Bible Study the next morning. I pulled out my copy of Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur, my favorite pen, and my shiny new, green, spiral notebook, and settled in to study.

As I read the chapter, two questions the author asked jumped out at me:

1. Why do you think it is important to know Him as Creator?

And

2. What role has God had in your life?

Drowning out the noisy gym, I let my mind chew on these questions for awhile. Why is it important to remember He is the Creator? I asked myself. And I wondered if someone asked, What role has God played in your life? how I would answer.

I opened up my new notebook and put my favorite pen to work brainstorming. Here are some of my disorganized thoughts on these two questions:
  • Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me of His power. The same One who created stars so large I cannot fathom them, and who's very fingerprints are all over the tiniest of cells my eyes cannot even see, is the same One who knows me AND He is knowable. Amazing! This knowledge leads to worship and gratitude.
  • Knowing Him as Creator leads to humility. I am reminded that I am created, He is my Creator, therefore I submit to Him, to His will, His ways, and have no right to dictate how things should be. (Job 38) I don't even know enough to know how He does the simplest of things in creation, how can I then tell Him how to run my life?
  • Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me that He is worthy of my trust. As my eyes sees all that He has made around me, and as I'm reminded of how mighty He is, how powerful that He could speak life into existence, I'm no longer anxious or afraid. I am His.

And how would I respond to what role God has played in my life? Well....that would take a very long book to write. : ) But here is a shorthand list:

  • He had a plan for me, my life, my purpose, and my salvation before the foundation of the Earth.
  • He created me. Perfectly. Even with my imperfections. He allowed my left eye to be small and blind for a purpose and my body, my personality, my mind, everything to be formed according to those plans and purposes He had for me before time began.
  • He called me and accepted my little girl invitation to come into my life and be my Savior.
  • He directed my life, but gave me free will to decide to love and follow Him.
  • He forgave me every time I strayed, and welcomed me back with open arms. (Still does)
  • Allowed trials, hard things to draw me to a deeper relationship with Him, more reliance on Him, a stronger character, and an ability to comfort and minister to other people in a way I would never have been able to do if I hadn't been there myself. During all of it, He carried me and comforted me.
  • He healed my broken heart and made me whole again
  • He gave me hope, purpose, and eternity.
  • He filled me with peace that is unexplainable and completely outside of the circumstances in my life.
  • He loves me with a love that NO ONE and NO THING can ever take away from me.
  • He is my everything, my very reason for existing.

Now it's your turn. Because meditating on these two questions blessed me so much this week, I wanted to deviate from my regular devotion format and encourage you to contemplate these questions yourself this week. Feel free to use the comment section to do some brainstorming and sharing of your own. It would be awesome for me to read what your thinking about our Creator.

Love,

3 comments:

The Jernigan Family said...

It is funny because Paul has been gracious enough to answer some of my lingering questions about God. We do little mini lessons so I can understand more. Last time we talked about heaven and how I was struggling with the idea that if someone was a non beliver they would not go to heaven, even if Sage decided to be a Buddhist, she wouldn't be with me. That is one of the only things that is completely holding me back from completely opening my heart, and I don't really feel worthy. While I have always believed and had faith, I always had questions that left me on the cusp. My next lesson will probably involve being angry at him, which I am sure you can attest to. Paul has been great enough to give it to me in layman's terms and I said no scripture or bible versus, just soup to nuts version, like the Bible for Dummies...I also asked for advice on what to read. I guess my biggest blessing is what I saw through the power of prayer is my daughter, despite all of the challenges we faced, she so much as never got a cold, and finding Jeramy who is such a wonderful man, and having an amazing family who I know would support me no matter what. Still have some unanswered questions, but thus the mini lessons. Love you!

Crystal said...

I can't wait to really sit and dwell in these questions Becky. It will be so nice to critically think about something other than Electrocariogram readings and cardiac problems. (Current topic this week in lecture)

Mama Mimi (Dana) said...

I've done several Kay Arthur studies Becky. I love her. Thanks for the remiders. Love ya.