My mom once smacked me in the face. I’m not saying I didn’t deserve it. I was 12 and had just told her to shut up. Let’s just say that her smack made me stop and think about what I was doing and saying. I never told my mom to shut up again!
Some of you probably know that this August Maranda and I are moving to Kentucky so I can go to seminary. It’s a calling I have clearly heard, and yet I have run from, stifled, prepared for, and am now following. Although it’s from God, it’s not without stress and problems. Last week, Maranda and I were looking at our finances and trying to figure out how this would all work out. I finally came to the conclusion that maybe we needed to rethink moving or put it off for a while. Maranda, usually the one that always refocuses me on God was overwhelmed and thought that maybe we did need to rethink the situation.
Then we picked up My Utmost for His Highest a devotional by Oswald Chambers. We usually read him in the morning, but this day we had saved him until before bed. Here is what Oswald said:
“The wind really was boisterous and the waves really were high, but Peter didn’t see them at first. He didn’t consider them at all; he simply recognized his Lord, stepped out in recognition of Him, and “walked on the water.” Then he began to take those things around him into account, and instantly, down he went… We step right out with recognition of God in some things, then self-consideration enters our lives and down we go. If you are truly recognizing your Lord, you have no business being concerned about how and where He engineers your circumstances. The things surrounding you are real, but when you look at them you are immediately overwhelmed, and even unable to recognize Jesus.
Let’s just say that Maranda and I confessed our lack of faith and trust in Jesus before we went to bed. Oswald smacked me pretty good. It didn’t hurt as bad as when my mom did it, but it still made me come back to reality. I’ve never been smacked in the face by a guy that’s been dead for 92 years…
