Vitals

The grass withers and the flowers fall,  but the word of our God endures forever.

Isaiah 40:8 (NIV) 

Recently, I traveled to speak at a conference.  Having not been on a plane for awhile, I was very obedient when the stewardess stood in the front of the plane before take-off instructing us to pull out our white information cards and read the poorly illustrated safety instructions.

I looked at the pictures, read the words and watched her demonstration of proper use of the seatbelt and air in “case of emergency.”  Upon glancing up I noticed that none of the other passengers were paying attention to the flight attendant, but instead were consumed in their own worlds of either technology or print.

It amazed me that vital, life saving information was being freely given and everyone was just too consumed in what they were doing to pay any attention.  I was betting on the inside however that if “in case of” emergency was suddenly be upon us, everyone would have wished that that which they had casually dismissed had been fresh in their brain.

By the time I returned home I had had four opportunities to hear a stewardess share safety instructions with me.  And, like all the others, I did not take the time to pull out the white safety instruction card.  Instead I just watched this woman talk to a group of people who were completely uninterested in what she was saying and say it anyways, because it was her job.

How many people are so consumed in their own lives that they aren’t taking time to listen to the safety instructions laid out by God or to read the “white safety instruction card” that is His word?

Many people believe that God lays out instruction to try to control us, limit our freedom or to keep us from “enjoying” life.  What they don’t understand however is that His Word and truth  all originate from His abundant love for us.

There are many who find themselves too consumed with their own lives to really pay attention and take advantage of what God has to say.  They simply don’t understand the freedom, life and liberty that lies within His truth.

Just like the stewardess, God does not share these truths with us for Himself.  He already knows the truth, He IS the truth.  These are the very things however, the only things, that can really help us “in case of emergency” here on this earth- and after.

I would have to say that the highlight of my weekend was having the opportunity to share God’s message of salvation with one of the women who attended the conference.  I was so thankful that in this situation God chose to use me to share vital and yet simple truth with this woman that she had never known before.

God loves you.  He sent His son to die for you.  Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  I have never been one to just throw these words at people.  I have found that when you throw things at people they usually duck!  I am thankful however when the timing is right and God chooses to use me in this way.

I was amazed that this sweet and beautiful woman who was well into her 50’s had never really heard the truth of the Gospel laid out before her.  What an honor to have the opportunity to introduce her to my King, Lord and Daddy.  Because you know, (sorry I can’t resist) I am My Father’s Daughter.

Father, Thank you for your Word which brings truth and life.

Pulled

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.  Prov. 14:12 (NKJ)

For as long as I can remember my teeth have “bugged” me.  Tremendous overcrowding meant that  really I needed braces when I was younger,  but having never gotten them, was left with a smile that offered two very crooked protruding teeth on my right side.  This consistently caused me to feel self conscious about my smile.

Finally, after years of dealing with it, I decided to do something about it.  Consulting with a new dentist, he told me that these teeth were not serving their intended function and should have been pulled “long ago.”  Once pulled, he assured, my other teeth would shift into place and it would be barely noticeable that these teeth had ever existed at all!  This sounded too good to be true!

The big day arrived.  The anticipation of having the procedure done was exchanged for the nervousness that accompanied the reality of what the procedure involved…and that it was probably going to hurt. Somehow, prior to that morning I had only focused on the outcome and not the process.  With a kind friend by my side holding my hand, about 15 shots of Novocain and a process of prolonged pulling  by my persistent dentist, the teeth did indeed come out.  Left in their place were two gaping holes that would, after time I was told, close up and heal.

I was sent home with pain meds, the professional advice of the dentist to “take it easy” and a list of what to expect.  In a post pulling daze, I was kind of out of it and already beginning to hurt due to the medication wearing off so I’m not sure how much I actually heard of his post-op spiel.

After waking up from a nap later I immediately went to the sink to rinse.  I’m not sure where I picked up the knowledge that rinsing was important or that Hydrogen Peroxide was a “healing agent” but it was in my reserve and so water mixed with a few spurts of it seemed like an even better idea than water alone.  Rinse, swish, spit.  Rinse, swish, spit.  A few days later I got even braver, wanting to expedite my healing and thought that rinsing with Listerine would be a super idea.  It burned…oh my it burned!  But, I figured it was a good, cleansing type of burn and swished on.

Everything was going lovely and I was weaning off of my pain meds.  Slowly but surely however, within a 24 hour period, a dull ache began to radiate along my lower jaw and the pain increased until I was forced to return to the dentist.  Trying not to be dramatic about the whole thing I summed up my pain level with “I feel like I’m dying.”

Turns out I developed a complication called dry socket.  Possibly caused by?  Too much rinsing after having a tooth pulled. The very thing that I thought was going to help me heal more quickly ended up causing more pain and discomfort and prolonged the healing process.

What we think is best isn’t always what’s best.  We tend to be pulled in certain directions based on our thoughts, our feelings and our experiences.  With a heart to make things better we can often make things worse when we walk in our own wisdom instead of Biblical wisdom and truth.  We must remember that in Isaiah 55:8 He reminds us “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord.  The only way to be sure that we are making wise choices is to seek Him and exchange our wisdom for His.

Father, thank you for the wisdom that you give liberally to all who ask in faith.