To Be or Not to Be? What was God Thinking?

To Be or Not to Be?  What was God Thinking?

                The other day while in discussion with my husband a question came up that stumped me for a second.  I really hadn’t given this particular subject much thought prior.  The subject of human creation came into play.  Why did God create us?  What was He truly thinking at the time of designing this human race and melting pot of unique individuals from one end of the planet to the next?  Why would the God of our universe, heaven and earth want human interaction?  Let’s rewind the clock a bit and step back several thousands of years ago to creation, approximately 4004 BC according to some Biblical and not so Biblical scholars.

Genesis 1:1-31

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

So apparently the earth was empty, lifeless, and lacking light.

The Hebrew definition of void:

bohuw bo'-hoo : a vacuity, emptiness, void.

chacer khaw-sare' : lacking; hence, without:--destitute, fail, lack, have need, want.

There was a distinct desire for God to design the earth, He felt it was too dark, desolate, and not serving a purpose.

It’s much like that junk drawer that most have in their kitchen.  It’s packed with unidentifiable objects that were stored for who knows what purpose, but never accessed or utilized.  They lay dormant, not serving a purpose for years!

I wonder how long God looked at the earth, and said to himself… “Hmmm…what should I do with this round thing I’ve created?”  I wonder, did He bounce it like a beach ball or toss it back and forth with the angels?  Did He juggle it with other planets? Did He decide to make a hole-in-one as he walked and pondered over the greenest golf course ever created?

Well, obviously not according to Genesis 1:1-31

To me, this draws interest on the very fact that God felt and He saw.  He felt the earth needed something, He saw it was empty.  He also had a need…a need to create more.  This began a tailspin of creation, from the moon and stars to vegetation, and animals.  What was missing?  What could possibly make this now new existence even better?  You guessed it…man.

Hebrew definition of man:

'ebyown eb-yone' : in the sense of want (especially in feeling); destitute:--beggar, needy, poor

The words needy, and poor stood out to me.  I looked up the word poor to find, it had the exact same meaning as man.  Not poor in the sense of poverty.  It is more of a constant need for strength, love, and a desire that could never be filled outside of Christ permanently. 

Man is described as the weaker.  God didn’t design him in mind to become a God.  He designed man with an ever presence aching or longing for something greater.  He created Him to never be satisfied in his own strength, money, or position, which is why when you see someone chasing after material things in this life, it is never enough.  The more one attains, the more one wants.  It’s never enough money, enough cars, enough clothes, or designer bags for some.  Some people spend their whole life chasing down dollars to find themselves and life wasted beyond measure in an early grave where society could care less what their financial worth was.  Who was this person?  How did that person make a difference? 

God created man for His glory.  He didn’t just form one to be a groundskeeper and sheep herder.

Genesis 2:15

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Isaiah 43:7

Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Did you notice that He says “And let (them) have dominion over the fish…”?  He had already decided that He was not just stopping at creating one man (Adam).  He had in mind all along to create a world filled with mankind.

Genesis 2:18 

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

What I also find interesting is how God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone”. 

So he makes a woman.  Why would God say anything about being alone, if He had not experienced loneliness?  Is it possible that God felt the need for companionship at some time?

Absolutely, I say.  We were formed to praise Him.  As pompous as that sounds, seriously think about this.  Say, you are the coach of a football team.  Your team has worked hard in training and has made touch down after touch down.  They win every single game!  As the team mates enter the locker room whooping and hollering with their victory of another massive win, they find you standing there to greet them with your arms crossed and this lemon sucking sour expression on your face and totally disinterested.

You don’t even offer as much as a hand clap, or word of congratulations.  “Coach why aren’t you excited? The team ask.  “Didn’t you see us brilliantly score tonight?”  The Coach’s response, “Yes, I’m cheering for you on the inside, can’t you feel it?”  That sure sparks a desire for the team to want to continue doing their best.  Not!  Imagine if these top winning football teams Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers had not had a coach that praised their efforts, encouraged their endurance, loved their passion for the game…do you think they would have stood a chance?  If their coach sat on the side line staring at them with a dead blank look with no expression that wouldn’t be showing much love or even belief in their ability to achieve what they set out to do. 

It takes the praises of the coach to encourage the team.

I do believe that God even though all powerful desires to feel loved, congratulated, praised, and honored for His majesty and mighty works.  I also believe He desires and needs to know that we love Him when things don’t always go as planned, in turn this makes Him want to bless those whose minds are stayed on Him.

Here’s another scenario for those not into the sports arena:

You spend all day preparing this wonderful surprise birthday party, shopping for presents, cooking a huge feast, decorating, and inviting guest for your teenager.  When they arrive through the door with a room full of people jumping up and shouting, “Surprise!” and they respond with, “Eh” (with a quick nod of the head) and quickly head off to their room to play on their PlayStation or IPod.  Would that not be a slap in the face?

God wants honor and for us to glorify Him.  He wanted interaction with someone who would choose to love Him. 

Revelation 4:11 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

He wanted desperately to give a being free will to choose to serve Him.  What greater feeling it is to have someone love you without begging them or requiring it.  Do we as human beings not also crave that kind of love?  Where did this need come from, if it did not come from the one who created us? God…the one who also desires to be loved.

How sad it is to watch folk in church stand there and not even utter a word of praise whether through singing, or a simple amen.  Acknowledging the fact that God has given them breath, a life to enjoy and a family to love.  Instead they sit in pews looking like they are waiting for the coroner to take them away.   

Sometimes, I personally feel like checking for a pulse… “Nope this one’s still breathing…get the smelling salts”.   But turn on a football game…and it’s on!  You’ll hear shouts like no other.  

Grown men will paint up their faces and wear paraphernalia in ridiculous ways honoring the team they love all the while shouting from the stands so everyone sees...yet too afraid to be seen in church raising a hand to God Almighty the Creator of all things. 

People hang in droves to celebrate the almighty leather structure that gets tossed, slammed, taken, and thrown.  

But to lift a hand unashamed to Christ who literally bled and was tortured for our sins..."no way...not me" they say.  The one thing He wants most is for us to love Him with all our hearts, mind, and soul.  That literally is His first command, and unashamed. (Luke 9:26)

Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

How can we love the Lord to this extent if we aren’t even willing to show it?  It’s like saying to him, “I am praising you on the inside God, can’t you see it?”  His glory can’t be shown when everything is hidden in the dark.  Just like the earth without form, and void in total darkness.  It didn’t come to life until light was shown on it.  To be shown, you have to see, not just feel it.  How can one see a praise on the inside when it doesn’t convey on the outside?

But God didn’t just create us in mind to love Him, He had another purpose in mind that we were to carry out.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He also desired friends for Christ (His only begotten SON).  What parent wouldn’t want their child to have friends?

John 15:15    

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

When mankind failed to follow through with the intent of living in His will and caused a tidal wave of sin to cause separation from the Father, He sacrificed His (ONLY SON) to suffer for our sake… for what?  To bring us back into relation with Him who created us, ALMIGHTY GOD.  Because why?  HE LOVED US SO MUCH! 

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

He still desired to be loved despite the sin of mankind, and desired for us to declare His praises.  He wants us to share the declarations.  This means in conversations, in the sanctuary, in our prayer time, in reading of His word.  Acknowledging Him and bringing glory to Him.

Isaiah 43:21

The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

He created us simply for HIM! 

Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

I know that’s a hard pill to swallow and maybe a rude awakening for some.  When one goes about in their “ME Addiction” syndrome seeking out “fame, fortune, and the freedom to be me” they fail to grasp their purpose or even their true identity.  Then there are those who stay in a constant state of, “What about me?”  Expecting to be served on a chronic basis.  These folks are so consumed with their own pain, whether physical or emotional, they refuse to allow room for God to use that situation to help further His kingdom…stuck in a pit of prolonged self-pity.  Is it possible to serve God and others in an illness?  Absolutely!  Just read this most inspiring story below:

Joni Eareckson Tada, the Founder and CEO of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, is an international advocate for people with disabilities. A diving accident in 1967 left Joni Eareckson, then 17, a quad­riplegic in a wheelchair, without the use of her hands. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.

During her rehabilitation, Joni spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high-detail fine art paintings and prints are sought-after and collected.

Her best-selling autobiography Joni and the feature film of the same name have been translated into many languages, introducing her to people around the world. Mrs. Tada has also has visited more than 47 countries.

Mrs. Tada has served on the National Council on Disability and the Disability Advisory Committee to the U.S. State Department. She has helped guide evangelism strategies among people with disabilities worldwide as Senior Associate for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.

She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Victory Award from the National Rehabilitation Hospital and the Golden Word Award from the International Bible Society. Joni has been awarded several honorary degrees, including: Doctor of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary; a Doctor of Humanitarian Services from California Baptist University; and a Doctor of Humane Letters by Indiana Wesleyan University where she was inducted into IWU’s Society of World Changers

Joni has written over 50 books. She has received the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Joni’s latest book is Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story published by Zondervan.

Since 1982, Joni has been hosting the short-feature radio program "Joni and Friends" which is aired on more than 1,000 outlets. In 2012, the National Religious Broadcasters inducted Joni into its Hall of Fame.

In 2012 The Colson Center on Christian Worldview awarded Joni its prestigious “William Wilberforce Award.” She has been interviewed on “Larry King Live,” “ABC World News Tonight,” and in magazines such as Christianity Today and World Magazine.

Joni and her husband, Ken Tada, have been married since 1982.

 

Nope, you were not put on this earth to serve only you.  Not that God doesn’t allow us time to relax, enjoy the fruits of our works, or experience wealth or fame.  It is what you do with what He blesses you with that becomes a deciding factor of whether or not it is to bless Him or His Kingdom. Everything we attain is pre-owned.  We own NOTHING.  It’s God’s to begin with. 

So back to the question of why God made man?  He wanted to experience the relationship of love, and not one that was one-sided. It is when we freely love Him that He releases the blessings, peace, freedom, and abilities to endure, and become all that He intended.  This is when we see the glory He so desires to be shown.  This is when a circumstance of chaos turns to cheer for many who suffer as they watch a child of God overcome incredible odds.  It causes a cataclysmic collapse on Satan’s devising destruction in God’s Kingdom. 

I imagine God said… “To be…that is all I need to know” -Selah

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Brenda A. Graff / Founder
FOOD FOR SOUL MAGAZINE

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PLEASE HELP! THIS FAMILY WHO IS PART OF OUR LOCAL CHURCH SCHOOL WHO WAS INVOLVED IN HORRIFIC ACCIDENT YESTERDAY AND HAS LOST THEIR 9 MONTH OLD.  PRAY FOR THE OTHERS IN SERIOUS CONDITION IN HOSPITAL.

Carter McIntosh (Formerly Ingram) and her two sons, Brayden and Sawyer were in a terrible car accident on Monday, August 3rd. The car crash claimed the life of her 9 month old baby boy, Sawyer. As Carter and her husband JP face a tragedy that no parent should ever face, we ask for donations to lighten the burden their family is facing. Carter is such a kind soul, as is her entire family and we know her strong faith in the Lord will see her through this tribulation as well as support from her family and friends. If you feel led to, please help us in donating to the McIntosh family during this time of grief.

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LIVING TO GIVE

LIVING TO GIVE

Yesterday, while shopping at a local market to grab some dinner items, I ran into this man standing at a kiosk sampling some food.  The Chef wanted me to try some Italian Moscato wine with strawberries in which I had to turn down because I can’t tolerate acidic fruit.  

As I was speaking to the Chef in regards to methods I have been trying to use to heal my stomach, the gentleman next to me joined in the conversation.  I was speaking of the bone marrow broth I often make.  

He joyfully begin speaking of his childhood memory of his mother making the broth every week.  He implied how soothing it was, the aroma in the house, and to the tummy.  I was excited to run across an individual who could relate to the goodness of this savory broth. For so many others haven't a clue of what I am talking about or too afraid to try cooking it.  

He smiled with great delight thinking about growing up on a farm as he shared a little more of his story.  As we continued to talk, we moved on to the next kiosk sample of Tilapia fish and sautéed vegetables, we commented on the flavor enhancing sauce that was used.  He then asked for more of the sautéed goodness.  

At one point, he stopped with head bowed looking down at his shirt and said, “I’m so embarrassed I must look awful, this shirt is so filthy”.  I laughed and said, “My husband works in construction I see this every day”.  He smiled and said, “I have another shirt in my car, I should have changed”.  I said, “I wouldn’t worry about it, people come in here shopping all the time covered in debris from work, your good”.   We departed with wishing each other a great rest of the day. 

As I headed out of the store after checking out, I noticed that same gentleman sitting at an outside lawn table displayed for sale.  It struck my heart at that very moment that the man was homeless.  He was just trying to cool off from this grueling heat, and was sampling to get what little morsels of food he could.  My kids asked how I knew.  I said, I just do.  The memory of the comment about the dirty shirt came back to me.  My heart sank, as I remembered us talking previously in the store at the sample cart, and here I stood with a cart full of groceries, while his stomach was probably screaming for anything to fill it.  I knew I had no cash on me, and nothing edible to hand him immediately. 

Sure enough my children and I watched him start walking down the hot streets of Houston with sign in hand asking for food, or anything that would help.  We were stuck at traffic light watching people passing by without acknowledging him, as he waived and said “God bless you” anyway.

The kids and I decided that we needed to get to a fast-food place for him.  As I was driving in my barely air-conditioned vehicle and complaining of the traffic and heat, I almost decided to just keep driving straight home.  We had already been overheated at the gym, and a little aggravation at the long line and wait at check out.  I even said out loud to the kids, “You know by the time we get the food and make it back around the freeway stuck in traffic he will probably be gone”.  

Their reply, “But Mom…we have to at least try….right?”  Ugh, I knew they were right....I was just so tempted due to the heat.  Yet, I knew this man and others were experiencing worse.  I absolutely knew that in normal circumstances I wouldn’t pain stakingly whip around the crowded freeway to run back to sit in extreme temps.  However, God spoke to my heart, stopped me dead in my tracks at a drive-thru which we waited another twenty minutes through an overly crowded order process…clothing soaked sweating profusely.  When I finally got up to the window, almost became briefly impatient for lack of heat tolerance, as it seemed they had to go grow the cow first to make the burgers I ordered for the gentleman. 

There were two ladies who questioned my sign on the vehicle and asked for a card.  I shared with them briefly the ministry of Food For Soul Magazine and that the rush for food was to get it to a homeless man that we now had to drive back another three miles and somehow snag before traffic lights turned green.

It excited them to see someone bringing food to the homeless.  It became a testimony of an act of kindness if nothing else.  We quickly got back on the freeway feeder and headed back missing a turn and getting stuck once more in the onslaught of cars baking in the heat.  

We searched for the man but couldn’t see him.  We finally drove under freeway and across and there he was!  Cars were rushing passed us and almost into us as we pulled over quickly with hazards on and honked at him.  He ran to the vehicle recognizing our faces from the store immediately.  We handed him a water bottle and the food explaining that I didn’t have any cash on me, he grabbed my hand kissing it and thanking me over and over.  He reached in cab to hug me and told the kids… “You have a great mom”.  My heart was overwhelmed with gratitude!  You see, I had a very rough start that morning.  I was hurt by some words that penetrated my soul.  I almost didn’t even leave my house allowing this thing to get to me.  

If I had allowed myself to get stuck on the emotion of pain, I would have never been able to bless this man with some food.  I would have never received the blessing of his kind words.  I would have never been shopping in a store with the company of this pure gentleman and having great conversation in which not once did it seem he was homeless or once did he ask me for anything.  

When this gentle homeless man kissed my hand...I felt a kiss from God.  It was more than just doing a good thing, it became a personal thing.  I tear up now just thinking about it, because so often we miss opportunities to be God’s hands and feet because we get stuck on ourselves, our personal stuff that tends to distract us from our destiny.  We think that we are the ones being a blessing to the receiver, but no my friend...it is the giver who receives the richest blessing of all...

There is no greater feeling of love, then to give.  I can’t explain it.  If I had to stop giving, I would literally stop living.  

-Brenda Graff

Founder 

Food For Soul Magazine

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GRACE STANDS ALONE

She stands with such grace, with a smile on her face

And shares a hug or two.

She walks a straight line and holds her head high

When she’s in front of you.

She speaks with excitement and delight

Never sharing her life of fright in the night.

Her hands are gentle as they wipe away tears.

From her siblings faces left living in fear.

She gave up school to care for the tots

Since her father was taken, mother works a lot.

Her clothes are made of sack cloth or whatever binds.

Her feet are marred and covered with many ripped lines.

Since she is older,

She carries heavy vessels on her shoulders.

She prepares meals to feed her brothers and sis

While stretching food upon their shared dish.

Her pillow is a chair in the corner it sits.

The bed is her knees upon which she fits.

The nights are so loud with the angry drunk men

That threaten to enter her family’s den.

She works to protect and keep the others safe,

While wiping the tears from her own scarred face.

Grace is her style, it is what keeps her alive.

She believes in her maker which makes her thrive.

Love is her mission, and nothing can take that away

She waits and hopes for someone to help some day.

To sponsor her family and help them to live

Even if a little is all one can give.

To give her a chance to live out her dream

To finish her schooling it may seem,

an unnecessary task,

Yet, what she would learn is not just in books

but also how to give back.

She prays for the one yes in all the rejection

Despite the no’s believes it’s no reflection

On her family or gender, country or theme

All she knows is that she has a dream.

Her name is Grace for she has surely shown

Such mercy and love in her very own home.

Grace continues to wait alone for the help of another

A loving man, wife, sister or a brother.

Will Grace continue to stand alone?

Or will you help her education and home?

                                  -Brenda A. Graff

Founder of Food For Soul Magazine

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Matthew 25:35-40New International Version (NIV)

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 

SLEEPWALKING

 

By Brenda Graff

                The alarm sounds, its 4:30 a.m. as you already hear the alarms going off in your head of the day’s task ahead of you.  It seems to be a struggle just to kick the covers off and prepare to get up.   Feeling as if you haven’t slept one hour the night before.  Still tired, half asleep you stumble to the bathroom, take a look in the mirror, and ugh!  You think to yourself, “Where have the years gone?”  This person staring back at me cannot be me!  Counting a new wrinkle, a gray strand of hair, or plucking one from your chin if a female... 

Seriously? Ugh.  Another worry line, another wrinkle.

, or one from your nose if a male.  How did life go by so fast? 

What gives?  I just shaved down those ear
hairs yesterday.

There is a point in life when you reach a certain age you begin the countdown of years left.  If you listen to statistics then you count every second.  It’s enough to set you in panic mode, trying to cram every activity possible into every breathing moment.  You don’t want to miss a thing. 

You still got the bucket list of things you want to experience before the ultimate departure from this world.  I got to thinking about this the other day, seriously thinking about it found myself wondering what on earth is there that I would want to experience before I die?  I’ve had the privilege of experiencing much so far. 

I’ve met BETH MOORE in person and had the honor of her blessings over my life in one of the most unexpected places (a grocery store). That truly was one for my real bucket list.  I've met Joyce and Dave Meyers, broke bread with George Bush right before he ran for President.  I even got to take a photo with Mattress Max that day (if anyone remembers who that is) this was nearly a century ago.   

I’ve met some wonderful celebrities and sang on stage with a few in little watering holes years ago.  I have traveled to New York a few times and heard the homeless sing in the subways, and dance on the trains freely gifting the audience with their incredible talent.  I continue to meet wonderful scholars, teachers, speakers, writers, and musicians.  

What I have discovered is that whether celebrity or (as we call normal) every day hard-working citizens is this:  We all share a common bond (a need for love, acceptance, and Jesus).  We can be hurt, suffer in ways money cannot fix.   Titles mean nothing when your under the gun with chemo. The show will go on with or without you.  Life is fleeting to all BIG, small, thin, tall, RICH, or poor.  Fame can't heal an addict, abuser, or broken (only God can). I once heard someone say they stay as far away from 'high society' as we call it...as possible.  The truth is, they need God just as much as the poverty stricken.  God didn't say. "Go into only the poor areas of this world and preach the gospel". No HE said, 

Mark 16:15

Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

God isn't partial, therefore we shouldn't be either.

  

Back to the point. I have had the privilege of holding six beautiful babies at birth , my very own...who caused love to pour out of me in ways I didn’t know existed. I have worked with Special Olympics and children with autism finding their joy is unexplainable, yet so incredible, and contagious!  I had the honor of speaking in prisons, domestic and community shelters, an schools, and watching a miracle of God give way as many gave their lives to him despite their circumstance. 

God has blessed me with the ability to write and publish books, and articles (something my mother always forecasted I would do since small..."wish you had been here to see this ma")  I have had the pleasure of holding a hand while reading Psalms to persons waiting to be taken to their eternal home.  

I have water-skied, went tubing, roller-bladed, ice-skated, rafted, traveled through many states, climbed water falls, and camped in some of the highest mountains. 

I’ve had the incredible honor of meeting many women and men in nursing homes who fought in wars, ran our cities, and states with stories of heroism and sorrow.  I’ve had the pleasure of feeling the little arms of a grandchild around my neck and hearing “Grandma”.  I've laid on the cool grass of the eve and starred into the sky of a million stars in awe of God's incredible beauty.  I've sat on the shores at the beach and felt the winds of sea water brush over me with pure "peace be still".  What more could I want?  Perhaps an uninterrupted date night with Hubby before retiring to a nursing home or grave would be really awesome!

After mulling over a few possibilities such as:  a trip to Paris (ugh...no...hate flying too long), a cruise (not wanting to catch dysentery), bungee jumping (not ready to die that way), swimming across an ocean (not prepared to have leg gnawed off by sharks),

Back off man!  I thought you were a Vegan.

I realized I would probably settle for back stage passes to meet Andrea Bocelli and a chance to accompany him on stage singing “The Prayer” song.  I would also love to take all my six kids and grands to Disneyland.  Even though four of mine our already adults.  I think I would still get to experience the glistening wonder in their eyes of excitement  over the animation and thrilling sights and sounds…and perhaps they would have a taste of what it was like to be a kid again,

and not live their lives so fast, and serious all the time just as I have.   

Maybe they wouldn’t ever have the unfortunate opportunity of waking up too young in the mirror looking old and asking themselves, “Where have all the years gone?”

Did I sleepwalk through mine?  Much!  I was so overwhelmed with responsibilities and circumstances around me, I exhaustively lived.  Rarely getting sleep, kept me in a constant state of insomnia and exhaustion.  It wasn’t until in this recent year that I had to force myself to slow down.  Take a nap when needed.  Turn off cell phones at times for total peace and quiet.  Yes, sometimes even overnight.  Sometimes there are times, you just have to do that. 

Staying in a constant flight or fright mode awaiting for stuff to arise, is exhausting.  It got to a point where I dreaded answering my phone for any reason.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to be another death, cancer diagnosis, accident, divorce, or depression call.  Yet, the ministry God has called me to for many years is to often take those calls, whether it be consoling a family at funeral processions, waiting it out with someone in a hospital waiting room, or holding the hand of someone who is broken-hearted.  Actually HE has called us all to do just that.  Isaiah 61:1  You don't need to be ordained, just BE available!

However, I do believe that at times you can get so busy putting out fires you forget to fill up the extinguisher.  Over time this can make you become desensitized, overly exhausted, and seemingly insensitive to the needs of others.  Before you realize it, you have sleepwalked through the years.  Unable to comprehend how the toddler who once sheltered behind your legs hanging on for dear life, is now moving off to college. 

You realize that you won’t get to hear the echoing sounds of your daughter’s screeches as she screams “higher daddy, higher” on the swing set of joy,

it’s too late for that…instead you will walk her down the aisle into the arms of the other man in her life, her husband. 

Suddenly, your spouse who you promised you would take to the opera, or dinner someday only has a date with chemo.  

The friend you said you would visit years ago, will only get to experience your presence at their graveside.

Have you been sleep walking?  Stop living life vicariously through others, social media, or television.  This isn’t the new normal!  We are supposed to live and live life abundantly.  This has nothing to do with the big home, the fancy cars, or ginormous diamonds to wear.  You can’t take any of that with you when you die.  Prestigious titles, positions, and salaries are not going to bring you to a place of everlasting joy or close personal relationship with others. 

Money can’t buy you love.    Money sure helps though…it is a struggle to be struggling all the time, don’t get me wrong. 

However, if I had to choose how I would want to be stranded with someone, it would have to be the person who was made up of heart, not gold. 

Money is not evil!  However, it can drive a person who worships it to an early grave and cause them to suffer many relational issues.  It can cause someone to sleep walk through a marriage, rearing of children, time with spouse, time serving for God.   Because having it all is never ever enough.  Ecclesiastes 5:10

Anyone can throw money at a cause, but to give time away, is more of a precious commodity.  It is in that time you develop relationships.  You experience the realness of another’s soul.  You learn something new. 

There has to be balance in work, play, family, and ministry time.  There has to be time for restoration, and separation.  A time to laugh, a time to die.  You can have a meaningful or meaningless life.  (The book of Ecclesiastes)

Do you want to sleepwalk your way through life or experience it.? Life isn’t like “Motel 6” it won’t always leave the light on waiting for you to come home. James 4:14

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 Brenda A. Graff

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