Along with pretty much everyone else I've the distinct problem of taking things for granted. Whether it's something/someone simple or complex, we all are guilty of not being thankful. That is until something happens. Take yesterday for instance... There I was minding my own business as I dropped off my cell phone to have the cracked glass replaced. I had special ordered the glass a week before and was looking forward to a clear phone once again. I went to lunch and when I came back they informed me that they had removed the glass from my phone breaking it even further and found that the glass they had ordered was defective. They couldn't put my old glass back in while they ordered yet another glass. So, here I am...no phone. It was then that I realized just how much I have depended upon my cell phone to live my life. I had cancelled the landline a few years ago as it wasn't being used. No means to make calls or to receive them. I had things to do, people to contact, and so much more and I was dead in the water. I searched for an old cell phone to put my SIM card into but have forgotten where I put it. Finally, I surrendered to the facts and returned to my senses. The world isn't going to come to an end because I don't have a cell phone. We may think so, but that is not going to happen.
It's amazing that I put so much of my life onto and into my cell phone! Having it gone is so awkward that it feels like part of me is gone. That's true about raising children as well. We help them grow and survive the different stages of life. We teach them the right way and maybe even have the privilege of praying the sinners prayer with them. Then one day (I don't know how it happened) they are out of the house, off on their own and we are left alone. This may be true about many areas of your life as it is mine. We depend on being able to get out of bed, do our thing, go to work, play with the dog and so much more. One moment in time we are injured and all of it comes to an end. When we recover all things have changed. Disease strikes someone you love and you become a caretaker. It's then that you realize how much you depended on them for their part in your life. Now everything has changed. There is no going back. Like the Father waiting for the prodigal son, we wait. The son comes home, is restored and life goes on but it's never the same. The life we once engaged has changed at least or is gone at it's worst.
Do you understand how dependent we are upon God? Do we really appreciate how much he has done for us, blessed us and protected us? The day to day becomes ritual and we don't see the importance of each and every moment. That moment gets lost in the world around us. When disaster happens we panic and cry out to God with the wish that everything could go back to the way it was. Safe, secure and predictable. But it can't, won't and our world is shaken. Whether it's my cell phone or the loss of a loved one, nothing is ever the same again. God's will for us is to have a continued focus on his Son, listen to the Holy Spirit and approach the throne of God with nothing inhibiting us from an intimate relationship with him. We all have losses and the world goes on. What we do with the losses determine whether we go on with a deeper relationship with Jesus or stay stuck where we were. I'd love to tell you that I always move forward but that would not be the truth. Today I'll reflect on what I've taken for granted and not overlook the little things in life that do count. It's always your choice.
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