Priorities & Knowing God

There have been several things that have been going through my mind/God teaching me today, but two stick out.

Priorities.

Knowing God better.

Let me start out by explaining what happened today. Cari & Andy are the couple I live withish. Around 5 this morning (Tuesday), Andy had a seizure. Cari called 911 and they took him to the hospital down the street. Within 30 minutes, Cari said he was completely back to normal, but they ran a bunch of tests to see what it was. It turns out he has a tumor on his brain. They will operate on Friday and, Lord willing, it will never come back. Whether it does or not, We know God is in control.

With all that as back story, I will begin at the end of tonight. I was asked by Cari and Andy to come back to the hospital after my night class so I could walk Cari out to the parking lot. I got there a few minutes early and as Cari was packing up to leave, she offhandedly/rhetorically asked, "Do you even remember what our biggest problem was yesterday?" Andy, being mostly out of it was slightly confused because he, well, was pretty exhausted. But that one question stuck in my mind.

Why is it that it takes a horrific event to get our priorities straight? After September 11, families started spending more time together. When my friend Johnson Ko died a few weeks ago, I called my sister, who was in his class, and told her I loved her. When Caden died last September, we all let go of those things that were bugging us the day before we found out. What was the biggest problem Cari and Andy had yesterday? Who cares? Whatever it was is obviously still there, but in light of a precious husband, brother, friend, who cares?

Problems will come and go. They will always be around and they will never stop coming. We need to realize that our priorities are out of alignment before the next horrific event takes place. Because if we don't, we might not get the chance to fix them in time (in case you don't remember that order, here it is: 1st) God. 2nd) Spouse (or family if you are single). 3rd) Your Children (if you have kids). 4th) Everything else (job, school, ect. . .).

The other thing He taught me was the beauty of knowing God more and more. I found out at 6:45 AM when Trish (Cari's mom) called me, let me know what happened, and asked me to let Bo (their beloved dog) out so he could. . well, ya know. So I did, but I stayed up for a bit and prayed. At first reaction, I will admit I was a bit frustrated with God. I was thinking, "God, isn't it honoring when two of your children love each other, have healthy kids, and live normal lives?" I thought about it for another minute when suddenly it donned on me that this might be a little warning sign of something really being wrong with Andy. Within a few hours, we all found out that Andy had that tumor and that there is a chance once it is removed, it might be gone forever. Without the seizure, we would have not found out and who knows what would have happened.

That idea that I had wasn't because of my superior knowledge, but because I am getting to know God better. I am listening and my will is beginning to align with His. What I have learned is that God has a bigger purpose for everything that happens. If I live a life that is shallow and make demands of God to know everything right away, that isn't going to help me know more. But if I am spending time with Him in prayer and in His Word, I will know more about who He is and His characteristics. He isn't the bully with a fly swatter ready to destroy us when we do something wrong. He loves His children and wants to bless them.

Why do we live lives that are so shallow? In our mircowaved, drive-thru, lose 80 pounds in 15 minute society, we need to see that God doesn't work like that. We can't avoid Him and then expect to know more about Him. We are in a relationship with Him. I have heard, from people who know, that when you get a girlfriend or boyfriend, you want to spend as much time with them as possible. You learn their characteristics, mannerisms, quirks, you see how they react to different situations, and as you spend time with them, you get to know them better. If you start dating someone and then talk to them once a week, it probably isn't going to last long. If you disregard them and ignore them, it won't be soon until they say "ya know what. I don't think this is gunna work out."

Similarly, spending time with God in prayer and Bible study is like eating and drinking. It is so 100% completely necessary to live. Would you expect someone who had one meal on Sunday morning and maybe one on a Wednesday night to be a healthy person, while the rest of the week, they didn't have anything to nourish their bodies? Of course not. So why do we expect to listen (half listen probably) to a 30 minute sermon and consider ourselves good for the week. In John 7, Jesus talks about how He is the living water and in John 6 Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of Life. That is how essential time with Him is.

As I'm saying this stuff, I am realizing how far I have to go and how much I still have to learn, but I'm making progress. I am still lightyears away, but I now see the foolishness of how society and I have tried to do things. Please see the truth presented here and respond accordingly. Matthew 7:24-27 is the passage about the two different reactions when they heard the Word of God. Those who hear and do something are the ones who build their house on the rock. Rains will come. Their house stood firm. Respond accordingly. . .