We all experience significant, sobering, solemn events in our lives. Whether it is personal, or someone close to us, life shattering situations can arise at anytime. They can be unexpected but hopefully infrequent. When impactful, difficult times occur, how often do we put into perspective the insignificant small things in life we worry so much about? But then, life moves on, and depending on what happened, we try to get back to normal as best we can. This can be said in great times as well. Suppose all is going so exceptional that we sit and think one day, why did I worry so much about little things? But even then, life stabilizes, and the little things come back into focus.
If we all think long enough, we could unearth a concern, a need, an anticipated event or action, or something worked long and hard for that must go perfect. How often does it go smoothly? Job interview, vacation, presentation, test, dinner, relaxing evening. How often do they go as we planned them in our head? Then after the fact, we reflect and wonder, why did I worry or stress about that? Maybe at the time it seemed important. I need this to happen; to go a certain way. Then, it didn’t. Maybe it went better, maybe worse, or maybe it just happened and you forget your expectations.
These last few weeks got me thinking about my grandfather. He was a Detroit Lions and Tigers fan. Seems like he alway wore a Detroit Lions or Tigers jacket. Feels like he watched every game for decades. No secret that the Lions are 1 win away from the Super Bowl. Throughout his life, at the start of each year, I am sure his expectations were high. Of course, depending on the outlook, his level of expectation varied. As any Detroit fan knows, most years were below expectation. 0-16 one year. Don’t think many people expected even that. But like life, sports seasons are filled with ups and downs, lower and higher expectations. Ultimately, unless you maybe win the super-bowl, a feeling of disappointment enters when the season didn’t go as you might have hoped at the beginning when anything can happen. Look at this year, Lions sort of surprised many in their journey. I can’t even imagine what my grandfather would be thinking right now about these Lions.
Boy, how did we get from sobering life events to the Lions unlikely Super Bowl run? Because that is life. Each day so many different experiences occur. Especially in our fast paced culture, the amount of events in our lives seem to increase and speed up. Constantly we are speeding through life with a trail of let down dust. Sometimes it’s just that, dust in the distance that sometimes lingers, but mostly scattered in the back of our memories. But it slowly begins to build up and needs to be dusted off. Dusted off so that we can see life more clearly. Dust clogs and dirties everything up. Nothing like walking into a house after you just dusted everything clean. Nothing like waking up to a dusted life so you can see the amazing beauty each day presents.
From the Israelites out of Egypt to the Apostles, Scripture speaks of discontent with life circumstances, doubts, fears, and worries about many of life’s concerns, just as we do to this very day. In Matthew 14, Jesus says, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” We are here to live for the Glory of God. Faith and obedience to God. When we are living, making decisions, going about our day with God on our minds and in our heart, why doubt or worry? When faith is in our Lord Jesus Christ, we turn to the blessing of each event in our life and away from the dust that overtakes, clogs, and dirties the beauty of life.
“If you have faith as a mustard seed,” (Matt. 17:20) Jesus tells us in Matthew. Mustard seeds are the smallest seed, yet grow and stretch into large trees and branches. The littlest of faith in Christ grows and grows and grows. Doubts leave, the dust scatters, and peace with God’s will and plan enters. Jesus said right before His arrest and crucifixion, “not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).
We may, at first, not like or be happy with what happens, but God’s will and glory is our life underneath the dust. Faith in God is our dustbuster. Time to get rid of the dust. It is not about our will, it is His will be done. When we are walking with Christ, believe, and trust Him, we don’t need to doubt. We can hold our head high and keep our path straight onto “what next.”
