Pushing the "On" Button

Today as I was cleaning, I had an epiphany. I adore music, and for about 2 months now, I have thought that my ipod docking station was broken. I have literally listened to one docking station to its death already and just assumed, I had gone through another one. And, since life has been busy recently, I just kind of left the issue untouched and made the mental note to get a new one next time I was out shopping. Circle back around to some quick Saturday cleaning, and I realized that the simple fix was pushing the on button.

As I did an assessment of my lack of intelligence in this moment, I also connected some puzzle pieces that have been on the brain this week.

So its complete common sense right? We all know that 1+2=3. For every action there is a reaction. In this case, regularity + time with God = great blessing. Somehow, I forget this sometimes as I get consumed with the busyness of life. Its not that time isn't being spent with God, but it can look more like a desperate grab of five minutes somedays as opposed to some intentional time with my first love.

As I began this week, I faced some new goals that will take front seat for awhile. I came home on Monday and knew that the only person who can make these goals happen was me and I had to begin the first steps that evening. I did the rituals when I got home. Put down my purse. Grabbed something to drink. Walked and fed the dog. And as I chose to begin my first steps, my eyes skipped over the needed tools to my Bible and a book that I have been flirting with reading for awhile. And I felt my heart skip a beat. God was calling me back to His word saying please find me first.

And as usual, He had the words I wanted to hear. That I needed. I began reading my book, and these words screamed at me, I want to "live out a vigorous, grateful faith." And as I planned to read in Daniel, God steered me to I Samuel and reoriented me with Hannah's story. Her endless supply of faith and God's blessing upon her and her desires.

I listened to a sermon recently where the pastor spoke of how we pray to the Lord. One of his points was, that we often ask God in our prayer to bless us and fix the situation at hand. But here was the grand slam of the point at hand. God has already blessed us - even in the most broken moments, He has not only blessed us but already answered our prayer. And to suggest otherwise, is a bit of a slap in the face. Don't get me wrong. I think that God knows our hearts and He loves that we are spending time with Him, but imagine if you really claimed His promises and lived out a vigorous, grateful faith.... I think life for us all would look a bit different.

The thing is, it is really that hard and really that simple. I think in its complexity, our confusion in the matter comes down to personal idols. Timothy Keller wrote, “We become like what we worship,” and too often, our currency of existence is rooted in false idols instead of God. "If we choose to fall into weakness (like Jesus) and say, 'Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit', (Luke 23:46) there will be growth, a change, and a resurrection."

Hannah prayed, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exulted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.” (1 Sam 2:1) She didn't ask for Him to show up, she trusted that He was already there.

It's as simple as pushing the on button on my docking station. It's as hard as saying the words in your mind and in your heart. But "behavioral compliance to rules without a complete change of heart will be superficial and fleeting". I want to live out a vigorous, grateful faith. I need to turn the button on.