“He said to them,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.’ ”
Matthew 22:37
I had a
strange encounter with a man at my local gas station the other day. Now, for
those of you who know me, this statement alone qualifies as strange. Having an
encounter with anyone at a gas station, much less a man, is definitely not on
the list for this small town girl’s survival guide in the big city. He appeared
as a nice, fit, stable looking young man in his late 20’s. I noticed he looked
a little lost, and after having no success finding someone inside to talk to, he
politely drove over to me. Leaning through the window, he confidently said, “Excuse me. Do you know where I could find an
LA Fitness around here… or a McDonald’s…or something?” He waved his hand
matter-of-factly, as if to signify, “You
know what I’m talking about, right? Either one of those will do.” Since I
always believe you are supposed to hold it together when and if you do find yourself talking to someone at a
gas station, I’m sure my calm demeanor did not match the utter confusion inside
of me. I knew where there was a local gym, and I also knew about a nearby
McDonald’s. The McDonald’s was the closest, so I pointed him that way. He
repeated the directions, thanked me, and drove off to the golden arches. So.
Weird.
Pure
hilarity came over me. What just
happened? Did someone really just ask me for directions to a workout facility
OR a fast food restaurant? What was this guy thinking? I really wanted to know,
but either way, I got a good laugh out of this.
Lately God
has been teaching me the big picture lesson of trusting His guidance versus
getting caught up and virtually distracted by the details. Here’s what I mean.
In my flesh, I tend to worry and wrestle beyond a godly point with trying to
get things just perfect. I acknowledge this is a flaw, for only my Savior is
perfect. But I find myself trying to balance my time perfectly and make the
“perfect” decisions in motherhood and other relationships. As I write this, I
realize just how ridiculous this “aspiration” is!
In this
tangled mental web that totally takes my mind off of being in the wonder of
Him, He speaks to me. He reminds me there is a marked difference in a heart striving
and a heart stirring. A few years ago, Peter Swann gave a sermon at HFBC, and I
still have a comment from him scribbled down in my journal: “You can’t help but
fulfill God’s plan for your life if you love Him with all your heart.” This
statement of truth has given me so much peace on this dead-end path to
perfection. Our love for Him is to be the most consistent theme of our lives.
If you and I can strive for the simplicity of this theme, the rest falls into
place by truly perfect design.
Not only
will there be peace within, but focusing on this single theme will incredibly
impact our ministry to others. Think about this with me. What do people see
when we roll down the car windows of our soul? Do they see we have a
smorgasbord of desires—our “loves” in life all over the place? Or do people see
that we have one pursuit exceeding all others? Of course, life is a
kaleidoscope blend of events, taking on many different forms. But does your
friend, your family member, your neighbor know what central thread drives your
heart behind all of these experiences?
I don’t
want my life to sing, “I’d be just as happy with a McDonald’s,” if I claim to
be looking for a gym – and vice versa. I don’t want to be equally sold out in
my preferences. Now hear me clearly—I’ll always shamelessly love a little
buttercream icing, a good make-up bronzer and time with family. I’m not saying
we won’t enjoy things of life, but there will be an identifiable anchor at the
bottom of all we do. The “all we do” becomes rewarding over rigid, and our
decision-making takes a lovely twist as we solely strive to follow Matthew
22:37. I am learning that as I love Him, my guidance is fixed (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The best
way to start is to honestly ask Him for this. “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I
will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name”
(Psalm 86:11, NIV).
I was blessed to have this article published for the Women's Ministry E-Newsletter of
Houston's First Baptist Church~ Summer 2012 Edition
