What is your Dot??

It has been a while since I have written.  I have thought of you often, usually as I'm running in the house to change clothes, and to run right back out to go do whatever that evening is assigned.  It's chaos, It's madness, It's my life as I know it. 

  

Life is moving very quickly now. 

Faster than ever.

I am leading a lifegroup at church.  I have an incredible bunch of singles in my group, and they challenge me to be a leader.  There are a couple that have been believers awhile, but for the most part, all pretty new to this "God" thing.   It's ok, so am I.  Last night we made a pact, "Whatever happens at lifegroup, stays at lifegroup"... so in keeping with that, I am going to share only what I spoke to them about....

Last night, we talked about relationships.  I shared with them that though I had been in church all my life, I had no idea what a relationship with God looked like until I started at Lifechurch.   I asked them to imagine meeting someone so special, and wanting to get to know them.  You both immediately start texting, and calling, and asking a zillion questions, and sending stalker emails 12 times a day  (Ok, maybe I just revealed why I am single).  

You may ask why I have a picture of Edward and Bella here, in my defense, I am a "Twerd" and I happen to LOVE their relationship... (plus it was all Google images gave me when I typed in "GOOGOO eyes in Love")    BUT BACK TO MY POINT..when you start a relationship with someone, You SEEK the other person out. 

People will wonder why God isn't real to them.  Why God doesn't answer their prayers or seem to care about them.  It's because they don't have a real relationship with him!   What if Bella would have only talked to Edward one hour a day on Sundays???  How long would that have lasted??  (Ok, maybe I shouldn't be using vampires as an example here)

BUT, God needs more than 1 hour in church from you.  He needs you to seek Him, and read His love letter to you (The Bible), and spend time talking to you (Prayer), and sharing Him with your friends (like you would any new guy....you tell EVERYONE how great he is....even total strangers who could care less).....WHY would you think that GOD wouldn't want that from you?  And even more so, WHY wouldn't you WANT to KNOW him.  I mean really understand and KNOW him.  That takes time, commitment, effort. 

Hallie wants to play volleyball.  She has the build and amazingly, the coordination for it, but she doesn't KNOW how to play.  She went one time... ('I'm so bad"),  two times  ("I'm even worse today")... three times  ("I need to give up"), and then the fourth, fifth, sixth time, and today, after applying herself to volleyball for three solid weeks, she got in the car, and she said  "I didn't suck today".   WOOHOO!  "The coach spent time with me one on one, and I learned some things".    What if she gave up after the second time?  What if she didn't stay with it, and watch volleyball at OU, and talk volleyball with her sisters, and practice in the backyard for hours.... she would NEVER get the college scholarship I am holding my breath for.   DO YOU see what I am trying to say?? 

YOU MUST SEEK HIM.  He is the ONLY relationship in the WORLD that matters.   If you aren't finding contentment anywhere you turn in your life...your job stinks, your boyfriend's a jerk, your friend betrayed you, you have no money, you have no time, your kids are rebellious, your marriage is in shambles......   It consumes your every second, worrying about that. 

Imagine this picture is your big bad worry.  The dot in the corner is God.  All the white space surrounding that dot, are all your worries and problems, everyday, just taking up all your time and energy.  You push God down into a corner, and take all that worry on yourself.   Admit it, you do.   I know I am guilty, or I was.... until I heard at a ladies conference, to just imagine the freedom (if you dare to let go of the control) to let God be such a STAPLE in your life, and you are so focused on HIM, and HIS plan for your life, and HIS direction for YOU, that HE becomes the beautiful white space, and that worry becomes the dot.   It's freeing, It's lifechanging.   And it's VERY VERY real.  Trust me on this one. 

People will ask me,  "How do I find the happiness you have?"   And I will I tell them... I changed my dot priority.  God's not the dot anymore.   God is my constant companion, friend and mentor.  He walks with me wherever I go, he talks with me when I think I'm alone, He is there everytime I falter.   And He's there for you too,   all you have to do is turn around and ask Him in.  Trust me, ALL the same worries are there.  EVEN more than I can take in a given day, but I changed my dot priority.  The problems don't consume me anymore, cause God can handle them far better than I.    Give God a chance to be more than a dot in your life.   Let HIM be YOUR life.   You will have riches more than silver...  He will love you with a love that is beyond words, and BLESS you more than I can tell you.  Happiness is that close for anyone.  You won't find it in wordly things,   You'll only find it in Him.  I know.  Because I did.   Just swap the dots.  What do you have to lose?