The story goes that in 1976, musician Cat Stevens nearly drowned off the coast of California. In that moment he turned to God and shouted: “Oh God! If you save me I will work for you.”
Steven’s says that right after this cry a wave appeared and carried him back to shore. So he looked for God - he looked for him in Buddhism, Zen, I Ching, Numerology, tarot cards and Astrology and finally landed on the Islamic faith. Of course, as a Christian I doubt whether that is what God intended when he saved him. But the story reminds me of how people turn to God in the big moments of life, near death or other tragic circumstances. How often in the movies do we see someone pray ‘God, if you save her I’ll be better, I promise’?
How different this has been from my own experience this year! This month my daughter turned one, my precious baby who has, in this year, changed my life and who God has used each day, in the mundane enduring moments to shape me into a more Christ-like Christian. It hasn’t been the major event of her birth which has changed me so much as the daily act of loving, caring and responding to her. God has shown me that there is a reason patience, gentleness and self-control are Fruit of the Spirit. I have discovered I need God every hour to be a decent mother and this has then turned outward as I see what has been true all along – to be in any real, lasting, loving relationship with anyone I need God.
God has shown me this year that I can be better than I imagine. I have a choice. Every interaction with my daughter I have a choice. To ask God to help me; to choose to be the parent he wants. Or to go on instinct, tradition, feeling. And I have discovered what has been true all along – that I have a choice in all interactions, actions, speech and thought. I can choose God or my selfish will.
This year I have cared for another person, another child of God, in a more intimate, exhausting and time-consuming way then I ever have before. And God has used each day of it, often mundane, often grinding, to lead me to a greater knowledge of him; a greater love for him.
You don’t need a near death experience to be changed by God. You don’t need some tragedy to turn to him. Look for God today in whatever circumstance you find yourself in and he will be there. He will always be there, right by your side, guiding you back to him.
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