2-27-08

Something in, Something out

One small hand diligently worked the bright silver handle back and forth, but never in complete rotation. Another small hand flipped a slightly less shiny metal lid up and down, taking a few moments on each up-turn to peer into the metal crevice, hoping for something to fall out into waiting hands. The scene was amusing, but when mother showed up, it became more poignant. She smiled at the duo as she reached into her pocket, and pulled out two quarters. “You have to put something in… to be able to get something out,” she directed them. She guided them on where to put their coins, helped their little hands make the full rotation, and laughed with her little ones as colorful balls popped out of the chute. Two quarters, two bulging cheeks, and three smiles later, there is a lesson to be learned.

I hesitate to compare our spiritual lives to a gumball machine, nor our relationship with our Creator, however, there are so many items in the physical world that serve as object lessons to jar us back into reality. How many times in our spiritual journey do we wish for deeper understanding, more inspiration, greater victories, or at least more frequent victories, and more power? And at the same time we desire all of these, we also wish we had more time to spend in prayer, Bible study, fellowship with believers, etc. If you have children in school, it is similar to them asking you to pray that they will do well on an upcoming test, even though they admit that they have not really studied for it. “Well, you know, I had so much to do. I had other things I wanted to do, to listen to, to be active in. I spent all my time with other things.” Can the Holy Spirit “bring to your remembrance” things that you never put in your mind to begin with? Should we be so presumptuous as to ask Him to do so?

Yet, we do this. We spend our time on other things. Not bad things, understand that, no, on many good and noble things- even necessary things. The problem is not the time spent on good and necessary things. It is the lack of time set aside and carved out for the one essential thing- our relationship with the God of the universe, who chooses to allow, yes, long for, us to have intimate, personal, quality interaction with Him. We want the power. We want the victories. We want the comfort. We want the direction, but we forget that if the Holy is to bring to our mind remembrance and interpretation and inspiration, there has to be something there to work with. Jesus spent three years daily teaching His disciples. They did not understand it all at the time, but after Jesus returned to His heavenly place, the disciples had three years worth of input that the Holy Spirit could work with and build upon. We have to be listening in order to hear God’s voice. We have to be discussing with Him for Him to answer us. We have to be taking in the Word of God, through reading and meditating, (and discussing its meaning and applications) in order to be able to receive inspiration and revelation from it and know how to apply it to our current situations and circumstances. We have to know what we are talking about if we want to be able to share with anyone else,

the Truth about Jesus and His desires for us.

How often do you and I stand at our spiritual gumball machine and peer into the cold metal chute wondering why nothing is coming out? We turn the crank back and forth, but never quite make the whole rotation, because we didn’t put the quarter in! The Bible says we have been given everything we need for life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We have it, but we have to put something in – time, energy, study, quiet time, conversation with the Lord, or faith- to access it, activate it, and apply it. Much of the application of our spiritual tools and assets depend on our faith to put them into practice, See Hebrews 11 for things God can accomplish in and through our lives, by faith. We have to put something in to get something out. We have to put faith (or what ever else necessary) in.

Like a patient parent, God our heavenly Father even gives us the quarters to put in “ It is God who is at work in you both to will and to do His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). God puts in us the will (desire) and the ability to make the right choices; do the right things. He gives us the will and ability to live in close relationship with Him. We just have to exercise our will to partner with Him. We have to accept the quarter, put it in the slot, and let Him help us turn it full circle. Then we have to reach down and flip the lid to accept the gift, the prize, the direction, the inspiration, and pop it into our mouths. We then experience the sweet victory and intense closeness in our walk with the Lover of our souls, which only that moment can bring. Like the children, we walk away hand in hand with our Heavenly Father, savoring the bond of the moment and ready to face whatever comes next.

The desire is there. The need is there. The possibility is before us. When we see each other next, will we have that color around our lips and a bulge in our cheek?