My dear wifey couldn't stand it. The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
So in a burst of energy, she strapped on her snowshoes and headed for the high country. She is fearless....
Last time we went snowshoeing, we went up in the mountains above the Pend Oreille Lakes and with great gusto, launched out into about 3 feet of fresh snow.
Notice I said, "into" not "on top of".
After about 100 yards of sinking up to my waist in fresh powder, we were both exhausted. It was like duck walking in waist deep snow. For 2 weeks, my thighs were so sore, I couldn't push myself up out of a chair. This was not my idea of a good time nor was I inclined to a repeat performance.
Today, she grabbed her snowshoes and "hi ho hi ho" and up the mountain she went.
She loved it. She found that the fresh rain packed the snow down enough that she could stay on top of the snow. In fact, she was wearing a tee shirt and a windbreaker.
So today, I chose to stay home and I ended up missing out on a beautiful day.
So where is the great spiritual lesson in all this?
You have 3 choices.
#1. Ignore God, live for yourself, and take your chances
#2. Learn about God through other people's experiences with Him
#3. Experience God for yourself
I am going to BRIEFLY touch on each one of these and then I will leave you alone.
#1 Ignore God, live for yourself, and take your chances
* of course the problem with this is IF you are wrong, the eternal consequences are indescribable. Living for yourself may sound fun but it holds no happiness, peace or fulfillment.
#2. Learn about God through other people's experiences with Him
* reading wonderful Christian books and their experiences with God is not a substitute for you have a personal relationship with God yourself. The temptation is, you get some of the knowledge, you get some of the warm and fuzzies, without having to go full disclosure before God in humility and honestly. I will stop there because I am on the verge of a sermon, and no one wants that.
#3. Experience God for yourself
God promises: “If you draw near to Me I WILL draw near to you” James 4:8
* So HOW do you "draw near" to God? Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, "when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." I believe the REWARD that God promises you, is an honest open, transparent, relationship with our Heavenly Father.
All the stuff and clutter we pray for, can actually be "settling". Settling for shiny beads and trinkets when in reality, God Himself desires for you to KNOW Him.
Now how cool is that????
