Did you ever watch the NCIS series and see Gibbs pop Dinnozo on the back of his head?
My first reaction was “Whoa! That was a little harsh.” And then as the series continued, I found myself saying, “Well Tony if you’d just pay attention Gibbs wouldn’t have to get your attention.”
In our human nature we often let our thoughts wonder into never never land. If you are like me, when I do that I let my thoughts become problems and frantically search for ways to find solutions. I take my focus off of Jesus and He has to get my attention and remind me that He is right there. I can almost hear Him say, “Hey, where did you go…I’m standing right here.”
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, not powers, nor height no depth, or anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is such a great promise, that no matter how far away I wonder in my thoughts or actions, Jesus is still there.
I love Spring. I see Jesus in everything. I love topping the hill to our house and seeing the hundreds of different shades of green. I love sitting on my porch and seeing the fat robins, the brilliant red birds and the bright yellow finches. Even watching my crazy dogs run across our yard makes me happy. They are so carefree. They are happy because they know they are well cared for…that I will always be there to look after them.
The statement that stood out in my devotion reading said, “Each moment you can choose to practice My Presence or to practice the presence of problems.” In all the things around you do you look for problems and become anxious seeking solutions or can you allow yourself to relax in the arms of Jesus and trust that He is always here with us in everything that we do each day.
This is the Lent season where we are reminded of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He shed his blood. He took all our sin with His death. I ache thinking of the pain that He felt, for me, for you. Trust Him. Follow Him. He says, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)