I have a couple daily calendars on my desk, one from John Ortberg's book, "The Life You've Always Wanted" and one from Max Lucado's book "Facing Your Giants." Every day these little calendars give me a thought and a way of learning a little more about God. John Ortberg in particular struck a cord with me today:
"For a long time in my own life a very bad thing happened. I had reduced my "tools for spiritual growth" to a few activities such as prayer and Bible study for a few periods a day called a quiet time. I took an embarrassingly long time to learn that every moment in my life is an opportunity to learn from God how to live like Jesus, how to live in the kingdom of God."
In no way, do I want to diminish the importance of a quiet time of reading God's Word and spending time in prayer. It's a very important part of our walk with God, but I do believe God can teach us so much more if we open our eyes and are aware of His lessons no matter where we are or what we are doing.
Very early this morning, I had to bring Cody and Elizabeth to the airport so they could leave for their honeymoon. We left about 5:15 a.m. and it was still pitch dark, which was surprising to me since we are into June. I knew storms were forecast, but I didn't know just imminent those storms were. We got to the airport, I hugged Cody and Elizabeth, told them I loved them and to have a good trip. I was leaving the airport when huge raindrops began hitting my windshield. Heading home, the rain came harder. As I got onto the freeway, the rain kept coming harder and harder and up came the wind. The further I went the worse the conditions became until it was as if there was a gray wall in front of me and I could not see anything, not the lines in the road or where I was going. I managed to find the 22nd Street exit in West Des Moines, got off and even though it was still raining extremely hard, I could at least see and I made it safely home from there.
This was scary to me, I must have had a death grip on my steering wheel. It just reminded me how frail I am, how frail we all are. Much of Parkersburg, Iowa was completely destroyed by a tornado last week. Thousands died in China after an earthquake. We forget our own frailty and the frailty of the things we build. We forget God's power. I see so much of God in nature, I see him as I watch birds fly all around my house, I see Him in the beauty of the deer as they cross my yard in the evening and, yes, I can still appreciate the deer's beauty as I watch one stand in my garden eating my tulips. But it's also good to be reminded of his power and our frailty and our dependence on Him.
As I sit here typing this 4 hours after the storm, it's an absolutely gorgeous day. The temperature has gone down some, the humidity has left the air and there's a slight breeze with a beautiful blue sky. I see God's peace and goodness after the fury of the storm.
Praise the Lord, you angels; praise the Lord's glory and power. Praise the Lord for the glory of His name; worship the Lord because He is holy. The Lord's voice is heard over the sea. The glorious God thunders; the Lord thunders over the ocean. The Lord's voice is powerful; the Lord's voice is majestic. The Lord's voice breaks the trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes the land of Lebanon dance like a calf and Mount Hermon jump like a baby bull. The Lord's voice makes the lightning flash. The Lord's voice shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The Lord's voice shakes the oaks and strips the leaves off the trees. In his Temple, everyone says, "Glory to God!" The Lord controls the flood. The Lord will be King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. (Psalm 29)
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