God is in Everything...

God is in everything…

It’s kind of a no-brainer to see God in everything today because we’re out in nature.  Well, the camper is out in nature, and it’s too hot to be outside, so this is as close as I get until it cools off later in the day.

But it is awesome to see His handiwork.  The beautiful hills covered with hundreds of shades of green; the majestic clouds sliding by high above, casting their shadows across the trees; the birds, big and small, some soaring, some gliding slowly, all looking for a bite to eat.

Yes, it’s easy to see God in this day. 

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?    Matthew 6:26 (AMP)

The Bible says that even though birds do not work for it, and therefore do not deserve it, God keeps feeding them.  He cares for each of his creatures, big and small, some soaring in their walks toward Him, some gliding slowly toward the prize of Jesus Christ, all looking for a bite to eat from God’s grace and loving kindness.

Pull up a chair and join us…

Photo by Cindy McGregor

 

Ah, The Great Outdoors!

It was a perfect day out on the patio.  The weather was just right, sun shining, sweet little breezes, the goldfish in the pond were happy, the birds were singing joyously. 

So I decided to use the iBird app on my phone to see if the birds would react to the birdcalls.  I had done this before when we were camping, and it was great fun.  I doubt it really mattered to the birds, but we enjoyed it.

I finally found the app, waited for it to load, went to the goldfinch page, hit the “song” button and…  nothing happened.  Nothing happened! 

I get so frustrated with computer things that don’t work right.  I messed with that thing, trying this and that, but I could not get it to work.  None of the birdsongs I tried would work.  What’s the big idea, selling me an app that works a few times and then quits? 

I’ll try it again.  Maybe it will work if I turn it off and then turn it on again.  That takes about 5 minutes because the app is so large, but in the meantime I can try to think of a way to get it to work.

I was sitting in my beloved outdoor recliner, my ubiquitous tea at my side, phone in hand.  I was talking to myself, getting more and more agitated as the phone moved slowly along in the only way it knows how. 

I had my head down, thinking of ways to outsmart it when it dawned on me that I was missing the whole point.  And I was literally missing the gorgeous afternoon on the patio.  In my weak attempt to force my phone to do something it was clearly unwilling to do, I had completely blocked out my surroundings, including the very reason I was there at all.

I had come out on my patio to watch the birds and butterflies, keep an eye out for a hummingbird, listen to the birds as they called back and forth and… well, you get the idea.

It made me wonder how many things I was missing by keeping my head down instead of up, facing the good Lord and enjoying His love and peace.

Just like that perfect afternoon setting in my backyard, God’s love is all around us, given to us in little gifts as we go about our day.  He gave me that wonderful afternoon to enjoy.  I certainly didn’t deserve it. In fact, I was trying to kill it!  Thank God (and I mean that literally) I realized what I was doing before it was too late and the time slipped away into darkness.

It really should be the first thing that comes to mind when something touches my spirit – “This is a gift from God!”  A friend’s thoughtfulness, a sweet smile from a stranger, a warm cat curled up in your lap, the satisfaction that comes with something well done – His gifts are endless.

Let’s watch for them, be ready to identify them, and praise God for them.  He loves it when we do that…

Photo by Cindy West McGregor

 

My Theory

I recently saw a book entitled “How to Attract Birds to Your Back Yard.”  Being an old birder, I immediately knew: Give them what they need.  Food, water, and shelter. 

And if you’re serious about having birds in your backyard, you”ll go to the trouble of buying bird feeders, bird seed, a bird bath or two, and a couple of bird houses.  If you already have bushes and trees in the yard, you’re sure to have birds in no time at all.

Notice I said “…you will go to the trouble...”  Except you won’t consider it trouble because it’s something you want to do, a project the whole family can get involved in.  You spend time, money and effort to get the effect you want.

It should be the same for our time with the Lord.  It should be much more for our time with the Lord. 

We ought to be willing to do anything, to give up anything, that keeps us from

Being alone with the Lord,

Studying His word,

Learning every bit of information we can absorb,

Praying to Him,

Listening to Him.

I love the birds in my backyard, but while I’m enjoying them, can’t I also praise the One who put them there?  When a friend’s name comes to mind, can’t I pray for that person?  When I’m with someone and suddenly feel the Holy Spirit, can’t I ask to pray with that someone? 

God is attached to everything. Even the bad stuff.  Especially the bad stuff. 

Because He takes the bad stuff and uses it for good.

There’s no way around God.

if you come across something that you can’t connect to God, would you let me know?

Because it’s my theory that you can’t.

Photo by Cindy West McGregor