Emmanuel

One short chapter in a book - a chapter that is less than a page long - more like a devotional really, but it changed my views a bit.  Amazing that. 
I remember that as a child I was afraid of everything it seemed.  They say this is a sign of high intelligence, because the child is able to see all the possible consequences of different actions and so tends to choose the safest path possible.  That may be intelligence, but I am beginning to understand that it isn't necessarily wisdom.  I am book smart and learn things that I WANT to learn pretty easily.  However, if I find little or no interest in a particular subject, just try and make me.  Praise God that He is so much more than interesting!!  Wisdom says, "Compared to You, God, I am dense as carbon.  Your wisdom crushes my own.  Oh, but when I allow You to crush me, look how I shine!!"
When did we start believing God wants to send us to safe places, to do safe things?  That faithfulness is holding the fort?  That playing it safe is safe?  That there is any greater privilege than sacrifice?  That radical is anything but normal?.....Jesus didn't die to keep us safe.  He died to make us dangerous.  Faithfulness is not holding the fort.  It's storming the gates of hell!  (Chapter one, All In, by Mark Batterson)
Every person that has given their life to Christ has a daring calling.  The question is, having truly "given ourselves" or simply our eternity into His hands?  I think for the majority of my life I have trusted my eternal destination into His hands, but not my life here on earth.  That needs to change. 
Everything we do is done out of a heart situation.  Is our heart looking at the adventure in front of us as a challenge to accomplish in order to bring us fame, respect, love, etc, a "look what I did moment?"  Does it place so much fear in our heart that we cannot seem to make our feet move forward to begin?   Neither is good.  We need to become as that little child.  When God places an adventure before us, it is because He wants us to go with Him!!  He doesn't want us trying to do it alone.  He wants to go with us, guide us, protect us, encourage us and watch us experience the joy and wonder of it all WITH HIM!!   This time of year we sing sing songs about Jesus being Emmanuel - God with us, but what we tend to really want is for God to sit up in heaven and watch without interference unless we ask.  His heart desire was, is and will always be to be with us!!
A couple of months ago I watched our youngest grandson, who was around ten months old at the time, crawl toward the stairway that leads to his bedroom.  He would stop and turn around to make sure I was following.  He started climbing and I climbed right along with him.  He checked periodically, just to be sure I was still there.  When he made it to the top, he plopped down on his bottom, turned to me and grinned so big!!  He had made the climb, but it was so much better, because he had Gramma to share it with!!  I asked what was next and we crawled to his bedroom to play.
Jesus said we must become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven.  A little child desires company, God with us and in us!!  We need to make sure we are climbing, but as we climb that it is with God.  Then let the adventures begin!!  As we climb higher with Him, He will show us things we could have never envisioned from the level we were on before!!