Thursday, August 14, 2014

Boca Grande Strikes Again

So, two days ago I said I would talk about just how big God is to me. In hopes that He will become THAT big to you if He isn't already. In my usual roundabout way, I will get there.

The literal translation of "Boca Grande" is Big Mouth. I think there is a whiny song by The Smiths titled Big Mouth Strikes again and not to take away from their whole emo-before-emo-was-cool vibe, but they really nailed the hypocrisy we all have issues with. I'd like to cancel that subscription, please.

I like to think that I do what I say and say what I do, but I fall short. This morning I was reflecting on "life" things and how it seems that I let my mouth (meaning my lack of letting go and letting God) get me in a ditch with people I care about sometimes (almost always). My big mouth causes me to not follow through with something else I should be doing, something the Holy Spirit is elbowing me in the ribs to do. I learned a hard lesson yesterday. For about a week now, in one area of my life, the Good Lord has been telling me to "hush". Oh noooooooo, I just had to freak out, snatch control back from my Loving Father and spill out what was on my mind and when I say spill, think about those huge gumball machines in Old Navy filled with bouncy balls, just busting open and the chaotic smattering and ricocheting of round, rubber novelties going in every direction. That sums up the initial "spill". Sometime in between trying to avoid stepping on the glass shards I created and scooping up wayward thoughts, I stopped. I hushed. I listened. I prayed. Then I felt the Holy Spirit chide me for getting into that mess, but loving me enough to say "here's a broom, let's clean up what you did here". The words that lovingly flowed from that point on (notice the transition from chaos to order) reminded me just how big God is. He will take whatever mess we have created and bring it back to order. Even the one I created. This girl, me. One little-bitty, eensy-teensy red dot on a great big Google satellite map of the world. Why does He do this? Because His love is larger than anything we can imagine. He absolutely delights in us calling out to Him. You know that feeling you get when someone asks for help and you deliver it seamlessly or your trivia partner looks to you in despair and you actually know the answer? Multiply that by a bajillion and that is what God feels when we call out to Him for help. "Call to me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 When we remember that Christ is alive in us and that if we get out of the way long enough, He will bring us back to our Father's love. Every. Single. Stinking. Time. We. Fail. Now if you'll go back to the top of this paragraph, you'll see that I mentioned something else I was supposed to be doing whilst in the midst of running my mouth. Here is where I failed yesterday.

My "spiritual gifts" have a top 3 list. Number one, being Faith. Yesterday I forgot to have Faith in God's will. I let my heart step in and have a tantrum of Donald Duck like proportion.  Forgive me, Father. Number two, Shepherding. I knew of a lost lamb who needed tending to and I selfishly chose to let my first failure (see above) get in the way. Forgive me, Father. My third gift is the one I wear on my sleeve, Mercy. God has shown me such tremendous mercy that it is no small coincidence that I happen to have it for others. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Someone's in need???? I'm on it. It's that simple of a tendency for me, but not yesterday. Forgive me, Father.

In failing in the first two ways, I forgot to show myself mercy. I surely didn't show it to others in my time of selfish need. Here's the kicker, God didn't forget His promise though. In my time of need, as selfish as it was, He covered me with love and showed His ever so gentle, ever so perfect mercy. God is so big that He picked me up from crying out on my bedroom floor in shame and tucked me in with the promise of new mercies in the morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). When I woke this morning, it was to a brand spanking new day of chances to INTENTIONALLY embrace that Christ is alive in me when it would be easier for me to wallow around and throw myself a pity party, but that's not Jesus's kind of party. He's more about fishes, loaves of bread and walking up on people in boats in the middle of a storm and scaring the bej... lights out of them. He is about forgiving us even when it is hard to forgive ourselves. Truly, Jesus is about mercy, even when it isn't deserved.  Even in His last moments before His death, He defended our ignorance and selfishness by saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" Luke 23:34. God is so big that Jesus, "the radiance of the Glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature"(Hebrews 1:1-4) lives, is alive, takes hold of and loves each one of us in our most fallen states. God is so big that He puts our broken, little moments in the forefront of His heart and gives us beauty for ashes if we will just let go and let Him.

That's why it is important to know how big God is. How the very act of redeeming ourselves is something that we absolutely cannot do. We are already redeemed by Christ's sacrifice, when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and LET God control our lives, everything falls into place. It may not come in the package you expect, it may not look like the life you were planning, but therein lies the beauty. God has your name written on His hand already. He will give you beauty for ashes. So, heed my advice; hush your big mouths, take a moment to pray and give it to God. Or do what I did this morning when I felt the enormity of His mercy, write on your bathroom mirror "How can I serve God today?" and follow through. Let your big God strike again. I hear He only has plans to bless us.

How can you serve God today? How big is God to you?

Blessings, peace, love.

No comments:

Post a Comment