Skip to main content

Set Up


 
"My favorite in Scripture is Ephesians 2:10. It says: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared for us in advance." I love that tag line: "prepared for us in advance." Translation: God is setting you up."

"That tag line fills me with holy anticipation. It gives me an unshakable sense of destiny. If we simply stay in tune with what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing we will walk into situations that God has divinely orchestrated for us. I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in providence. God is in the business of making sure we're in the right place at the right time. There are divine appointments that God is already setting up for next day delivery!"            
 
by Mark Batterson http://www.markbatterson.com/uncategorized/god-is-setting-you-up/
                                                                                       
Makes me think of times in my life when I feel like I’ve been set up……

I run into someone at the grocery store, cart full, schedule even more full….. in a time crunch to get home, put food away, cook food for supper, clean up and sweep mounds of dog hair off floor …all before the girls show up for bible study…. And it seems that times like this are exactly when the “how are you doing?” greeting actually gets a for-real answer, and the “fine” gets lost in the rush along with my few spare minutes.  Set up.  I asked.  Now I am receiving the answer.  No matter how narrow my margin of time. 
 
Despite the ominous feeling that I have no option but to stand and listen to the precious minutes ticking away, I do have options in such circumstances.  I have a choice in this.  I can choose to fake-listen while silently complaining, thinking of all the things that will go undone, envisioning the horror on the faces as the ladies wade through dog hair on my floor.  I can look for pauses in the conversation to slip in a muttered excuse and be on my way, leaving the dear soul wondering why I even seemed to care in the first place. 

Many times these are the first options that come to mind and if I don’t search further, they can seem like the only options as well as the right ones.  After all, I do have to feed my family, right?  I do have to be home for bible study, right?  Yes, of course. 

But if I will turn my eyes to my Father, you know, the One who prepared good works for us in advance, the One who gives us grace so we will abound in good works - I will see that He has placed this person in my path for a purpose He wants me to accomplish.  Maybe they just need to know someone cares.  Maybe they need further counseling and I can offer it.  Maybe they need a friend to help them walk through the shadows. Maybe I need to learn to put people before my to-do list. Whatever the reason, God has set me up to grow more like His Son and equipped me to minister for Him to them. 

Set up. It’s not such a bad thing, depending how you look at it.
 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Precious One

I enjoyed tucking my daughter in tonight, we talked and even giggled when I broke out spontaneously in a ridiculous rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. “Mom, rub my face like you used to” she requested. She shut her eyes as my fingers danced lightly around her face, something she used to like when she was a little girl. She drifted off to sleep and my thoughts drifted to praying for her. “Father, keep her from evil and keep evil from her… "She is Yours, help her to know that and live it and find satisfaction in nothing and no one else…." I was struck by the truth that her life and soul mean infinitely more to me than anything this life can offer. As I prayed, God re-ordered some things in my life and refocused my heart. I have been anxious to repaint my living room a fresh new color. Yet compared to the vital task of raising this young woman, building a God-world view in her life, my living room and so many other desires took a back seat and seemed so unimportan...
3 comments
Read more

Got The Poor Mama Blues? You Need To Do These 10 Things

I'm sharing this in the Titus2sdays Link Party! Check out the other encouraging posts linked there! Tired of the whining? Tired of dealing with disobedience? Tired of getting up at night? Tired of mess after mess? Tired of dressing them, feeding them, wiping noses…and bottoms? Tired? That’s normal. It happens . Even to the best mamas. So what do you do with these feelings? These frustrations? You can’t hide. You can’t change your name. You can’t run away. So what’s a mama to do? The middle of winter is when it usually hit me. Cabin fever sets in both you and the kids. And you find yourself coming down with a bad case of the Blues.   The Poor Mama Blues. But this can’t be blamed on anyone but yourself. Your emotions and attitudes belong to no one else but you. You are in charge of them. You are in charge of what your emotions and attitudes are in any given situation. Sounds harsh? Yes. But honesty is your friend here. Your emotions come upon you without no...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Want To See Your Splendor

The alarm woke me at 5:45 and pulled me back into my somewhat normal routine after almost 2 weeks of busy-wonderful Christmas break. The verse highlighted in bright pink caught my attention as I thumbed through the pages of my bible. Psalm 90.6 (NIV) May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children.     “ I want to see Your splendor. Lord, show me your splendor today.” I declared right there in my kitchen, while it was still dark outside and the day had not yet began for many. Only then I made breakfast, had another cup of coffee, made my bed, packed my lunch, threw some laundry in and went to work. I went on with my very ordinary day and forgot all about it. I forgot to look for His splendor. I was too engrossed in my day to watch for Him to show up. It wasn’t until the next morning that I even gave it another thought. I really do want to see His splendor. I want to see it right in the midst of my oh-so...
Post a Comment
Read more