We stopped at church today, to help out for a few hours. It is really coming along and our new sanctuary is looking super! Being that it was an old warehouse prior to being our church, it needed alot of work. Pastor Ed had great vision for the once- flower shop. Luis and Pastor began anchoring down the pews. Since the floor is unsealed concrete, a lot of dust kicks up when we work. I grabbed the mop to tackle the stage/altar area, which has been painted black, and shows the footprints when we walk on the main level before going up to the platform. As the men finished each section of pews, I began to mop the concrete floor. I don't know about you, but I am such an instant gratification kind of person. I want to see results, and have something to show for my hard work. You know, like when you see the before and after on a waxed floor job...from dull to WOW!!! Or the way a wall looks with a fresh coat of paint. Well, while I was mopping the concrete, I noticed that it looked the same after mopping as it did before. In fact, if I didn't mop fast enough, the section would dry, and I could't tell where I left off at all! What a waste, I thought to myself. I felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything. I began thinking about it, and I heard a voice say, "Sometimes it's what you DON'T see that is more important than what you do see". Hmm, I thought about that for a bit. What I don't see...like, not seeing anymore dusty footprints walking up the stairs and on the platform. Even though it looked as though I wasn't accomplishing anything, the dust settled, and there will be a clean platform for tomorrow's service. What a subtle change. But isn't that just how God does things? I mean, if you think about it, very rarely does He do blatantly obvious changes in our lives. Not that He doesn't have the power to do them whenever He desires, but He chooses to work slowly and patiently with us. Sometimes, the changes are so gradual and subtle, that we don't even recognize the difference. It takes someone else pointing it out to us to remind us of what once was, but is all but a faint memory now. I remember when Luis and I were first married, our home was filled with strife, conflict, and arguing. Hardly a day went by when we didn't bicker about something. I remember feeling like I was suffocating in the midst of a panic attack, when our arguments would end with Luis leaving the house with a slammed door. But slowly, and methodically, over these past 14 years, God has changed us both, and given us tools that we both lacked back then. We very rarely argue anymore (well, once in a while, Luis is wrong about something-haha) but when Luis comes home from work now, I am greeted by the LACK of strife and anger. Our home has peace. The life we lived all those years ago doesn't even seem real anymore.
A lot of times, it's the obvious that gets our undivided attention...as they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I guess it's because the obvious is, well, just that. It doesn't take a lot of skill to notice it. In fact, most of the time, the obvious is screaming in our face. I wonder how much we miss in this life, because we are so distracted with the obvious, that the subtle goes unnoticed. I was reminded of the part of the Bible found in 1 Kings 19:11-13...
"The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
I am so glad that the Lord has chosen for me to live in this generation, where I can learn from the Bible, rather than having a part in it. Had I been Elijah, and witnessed that terrifying wind, earthquake, AND fire, I don't think I would have stuck around to hear the gentle whisper.
Thankfully, God knows exactly what He is doing in each of our lives. I am learning how to take in all the good crops, while plowing though all the weeds that vie for my attention. Trusting that the Lord has a plan, and His plan is for us to be victorious! That's the faith walk that we journey daily..."being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
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