Well…at this point my daughter, with her strong sense of justice, was irate.  She told me that this incident had “stirred a fire within her” and that she was heading into school to write about it – debating if she would compile a list of facts or record it in narrative form. She insisted that I take it to court.  I have to confess that I was none to pleased myself.  It’s not that there haven’t been countless of other times when I could have rightfully been pulled over for committing a wrong, but this was not one of them.  I too felt that I was treated unjustly.

When wrongs are committed against us (even extremely minor ones like I experienced yesterday) something rises up within us calling out for justice.  We long for wrongs to be made right and for fairness to reign, but the reality is that each of us will undergo countless experiences within our lifetime that feel unjust. These experiences can truly be tough on our faith.  “Why doesn’t God do something?” we ask.  Yet, we can be absolutely sure that He is doing something.  God never steps off of His throne, and anything that touches our life is meant to somehow be an instrument for our good, helping us to depend on and delight in Him more fully.  We can also be assured that there will come a day when God will say, “ENOUGH!” and Jesus will once again return and set right every wrong that has ever been committed.  So whether it is something as minor as a traffic ticket or as major as human trafficking, may we trust that God is good, that God is in control, and that God will bring about justice.  May we rejoice that our Savior already paid the price for the wrongs that we committed against Him, and may we place our confidence in the character of God that is promised to us in Deuteronomy 32:4 – “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

Did I need my daughter’s “help” in the kitchen?  Of course not.  On my own, I could have baked the cookies a lot faster and with a lot less mess.  But I loved her desire to be with me.  It made my heart glad for her to join me and for us to share this time together. 

When I look back on these cookie making memories it helps me to understand how I “help” my heavenly Father in ministry and missions.  He does not in any way need me.  He could accomplish things faster and with less mess without me.  And yet, He delights for me to join Him in His kingdom work.  He allows me the joy of laboring alongside Him. He knows that being a part of the process will bring me a sense of purpose and pleasure.  As Tozer said, “He needs no one, but when faith is present He works through anyone.”

I also have a lot of windows in my home, especially across the back of the house.  As I look out these windows this morning, the ground is covered with a thin blanket of white, a rarity here in the suburbs of Atlanta.  The tree leaves have been kissed by snow, and a brilliant male cardinal is greedily and gratefully munching at one of the feeders.  Although it is still early, the world is bright.  Gazing at this beauty also brings joy to my heart.

Although I love both the paintings and the windows that I am blessed to have in my house, if I had to choose which one I would rather be, I would choose a window.  A painting is created to capture your attention.  It calls out, “Look at me.  Aren’t I beautiful?”  A painting is designed to be noticed and admired.  A window is the opposite.  A window bids you come and see beyond it.  It was not meant to stand out, but to allow you to focus your attention elsewhere.  A window disappears as you gaze through it to see something else.

Although I love my paintings, I don’t want to be one.  I don’t want to live my life hoping to gain the accolades and the approval of those around me.  I would much rather be a window that others can see through to get a glimpse of Jesus.

Let me share with you one quote from the book with the hopes that it will whet your appetite to read it for yourself:  “May God inflame in you a passion for his centrality and supremacy in your life.  May it be so that when you are dead and gone the people you love and serve will say, “This one knew God.  This one loved God and lived for the glory of God and showed us God day after day.”

I will warn you though, don’t pick up this book unless you want to be called forth from complacency and challenged to live with all your might for the glory of God.

This past Wednesday I found myself battling a bad mood.  My spirit was grumbly and foul for no apparent reason.  I couldn’t blame it on circumstances, I couldn’t blame it on relationships – I couldn’t even blame it on hormones!  How humbling to see that the only reason for my bad mood was me!  I don’t need for there to be anything wrong externally for me to respond sinfully – it is who I am. 

In the midst of my moodiness, God helped me to realize afresh that I am not a sinner because I sin, I sin because I am a sinner.  I came into this world with a sinful nature and although I am in the process of being transformed into the image of my Savior, sin will continue to be a part of who I am and all I do until the day I arrive in heaven.

Ironically, the truth that I am (and upon this earth always will be) a sinful person brings freedom rather than the weight of condemnation.  I don’t have to keep up appearances before my Father – He knows me through and through.  He has placed the full punishment for my sin upon His Son.  I can rest assured that there is nothing that I need to do to earn His love and there’s nothing I could ever do to lose His love.  My ever-present sin keeps me humbly dependent on my ever-gracious God, and deepens my love for the One who is not ashamed to call me His own.

Then, something terribly tragic happens - you have to spend the rest of the day encountering people and pressures and problems that threaten to steal the peace that seemed so strong in the early hours.  Even if nothing particularly stressful occurs, just walking through the routine and the mundane can distract us and lead our thoughts away from God.

In the midst of the everyday moments of ordinary life, it is far too easy to lose sight of God and to forget the life-giving truths found in His promises.  Personally, this is a struggle that I face everyday, but I wanted to share something simple that I have found to be extremely beneficial in this battle.  Each morning, I ask God to impress on my heart one verse that He would have me lay hold of to carry with me throughout the rest of the day.  Since I have a fetish for office supply stores, I have chosen to purchase pretty business cards to write the verses on and a card holder to store them in so that I can continue to review them.  Recognizing that not everyone is wired this way, I’m sure a post it note or a piece of scrap paper would work equally as well.  (Actually, I’m certain the pretty business cards would work best, but to each their own…)

At any rate, I have been using this approach for the past several months and have round it to be incredibly enriching to my walk with God.  I would encourage you to give it a try in your effort to “meditate on God’s word day and night.”

I wonder, do my life choices usually reflect my life purpose?  If someone were to observe my life for a day, or a week, or a season what would they conclude is my reason for living?  If they were to watch how I spend my time and my money; if they were to listen to the words that I speak and see how I relate to my family, my friends, and the strangers that God places in my path; if they were to watch what I choose for entertainment and what I find pleasure in – what would they say I am living for?

I was created by God for God.  He gave me life that I might know Him and love Him and find in Him my all surpassing treasure.  My purpose is to enjoy and display His glory.  It’s not about me…it’s all about Him.

Sadly, my life choices don’t always line up with my life purpose.  Thankfully, the same grace that saved me will continue to grow me.