Journey or Destination?

"The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of the bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. Moses said, 'What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?' God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' He said, 'Yes? I'm right here!' God said, 'Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground.' Then he said, 'I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.' Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God." Exodus 3.2-6 (MSG)

As a kid I always loved getting to where we were going. As a father, I now know why my dad never wanted to stop and see the snow in Kentucky when we were going further north, "And there will be snow in Columbus." I want to get there and get there quickly. I don't want to mess around with the details of the journey. I want to get there as soon as possible, with as few stops and detours as possible.

Ever felt this way? Hurry up and get there? I want to have arrived.

It makes me think about a guy named Moses who had a taken a lot of steps with God. I'm sure that when he was tending the sheep of his father-in-law on the back side of nowhere he was thinking, "How did I get here? Where did I go wrong?" He was raised in the palace of the Pharaoh. He was destined for greatness. He had a good heart toward his people, the Israelites. But something happened that caused him to end up in the middle of nowhere.

His journey didn't begin at the burning bush with God, but rather at his birth. But the burning bush is where we see that he finally acknowledges God on the journey. The steps that Moses took toward God were humble, tentative, fearful. He removed his sandals in the presence of God. He removed the hindrances and blockages between his feet and his Master. He showed reverence for the holiness of God.

Walking with God requires both a familiarity and a reverence. It requires humility and boldness - curiosity and fear.

What is the destination? Where are when we have finally arrived? Heaven. And the whole point of Heaven is God. So the journey is the destination. God is the point of this journey. The beautiful thing is that we have Him with us every day. I am reminded this season of His name, Emmanuel - God WITH us. We miss Him so many times. We get wrapped up in our plans and the final destination of arriving that we miss the whole point - walking with God.

Take some time today to just walk with God. Get outside, enjoy the cool air or the warm sunshine, and walk with God. Take some time and tell Him that you are sorry for allowing your priorities to get so messed up. Make time today to be with God. Remove the sandals from your feet and the hindrances from heart so that you can hear God talk with you.

Where are you?

Genesis 3.8 "When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. God called to the Man, 'Where are you?'"

We were created to walk with God in the cool of the day, at the end of the day. Walking with God. Can you imagine? What would it be like to walk with God at the end of your day, in the cool of the evening, talking about your day and your life. Let Him know of your struggles and triumphs. This is what Adam and Eve did every day. They ened each day with God.

There is something to learn from this. We were created to walk with God. God longs to be with us, just like He was with Adam and Eve. But many times things get in the way. I'm too busy. It's raining outside. I have too much on my mind. I can't feel God. What is the use, He isn't really there anyway. There is a good show on TV tonight. I just want to relax.

These don't remove the fact that we were created to walk with God. The journey with God is the destination. The relationship is the point of it all. Stepping with God is the point. Walking with God is what we were created for. God wants to hear about your day, every day. He has been waiting for you and I to tell Him all about it. He has been waiting to hear the good, the bad and the ugly of it all.

Take some time today to spend with God, telling Him all...ALL...about your day. God is asking us the same question as He did Adam, "Where are you?"

Fear from a child's eyes

Joshua 1.5, 9 "In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you, I won't leave you...Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't be discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

"Daddy, I'm just scared because I've never had stitches before," Hannah says with tear rolling down her cheeks and fear filling her eyes. She is lying on a hospital bed at the Care Clinic. She is here because of a bike riding accident and her split chin.

As a dad, what do you do? Jen and I had our hearts being ripped out. How do you comfort her? How do you strengthen her? How do you reassure her?

Jen then asked me to step up by her head and just keep lookin in her eyes. The fear was overwhelming. It broke my heart. But this seemed to calm her. She went from histeria to calm, an almost eary calm. She just closed her eyes and relaxed. It was amazing.

What do you do when you are scared? Where do you turn when your life has taken a tumble? Where do you go when life is messed up and you are scared?

Through this experience God showed me some amazing things about Himself. When I'm going crazy and life is upside down, when fear has flooded my eyes and invaded my heart, I can look into my Father's eyes and find comfort and strength. I'll be able to face any uncertainity because of the courage that is transfered from the initmate presence of my Father. From His strong, reassuring gaze I can find hope that I am going to be okay - that everything will be alright.

Just so you know, Hannah received 3 stitches and is doing much better (this was only 4 days ago). She isn't ready for a bike ride any time soon, but we will try it this weekend again.

God, thank you for your strength and hope. Thank you for calming my heart and reassuring me that You have me when life is going crazy around me.