Whadda you lookin' at?

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About 2 months ago, I saw a Facebook ad about a Bible study from Lifeway and Tony Evans about u-turns.  Now, I've had to do my fair share of u-turns, and there have been a couple of detours but from where I was standing, I couldn't really see myself needing to make one so I just ignored it.

And then I saw it again.  And then I got an e-mail about it.  And then, I got convicted that I needed to do it, and I needed to order the study book for it as well. 

I did both things.

The lessons come out on Wednesdays and up until now, they've really been more about things God has walked me through more than I really needed a u-turn from.  And then today, I sat down and did the week 5 lesson and that's when I realized why God had me complete this study.

For a while now, He's been working with me on two things:  The first is to realize that while I want the plan, He wants the plan for today.  Seriously, for me in this season it's day by day.  And for those blessed saints who only need Jesus ever hour, I salute you.  I need Him every minute.  Every hour?  Either you've been through a ton of stuff or you're in a comfort zone that's not made you need Him every minute.  I don't just need God, I'm desperate for Him.

Sometimes, though, I get caught up in stuff and it can take my focus to a place where it shouldn't be, and in His lovingkindness (I love that word....) God has been patiently reminding me to keep looking UP instead of at the things I see at eye level.  The other thing He's been working on is the day-by-day thing.  God gives for today.  He's not going to give for tomorrow until tomorrow is today.  And as for looking at Him, it's more to trust Him with that today and that tomorrow.  I think the two really go hand in hand and it's an important U-turn that I'm in the middle of.

Part of the looking up is learning to put things in their places.  That starts with my feelings.  I don't always "feel" correctly.  Sometimes those feelings can steal my joy, change my focus, and they're transitory.  I might not "feel" the same way tomorrow that I do right now.  So God took something I was "feeling" about and just reminded me that I just needed to put that thing in a proper place.  And that proper place is not in His place.  It's been a help  

God deserves that spot.  It's HIS in my life and it should be in yours too.  He gave more to me when Jesus found me than I could have ever hoped for and certainly deserved, but that's the Good News of the Gospel.  He gave HIS only Son for my sins, for my iniquities, for my transgressions.  So that I could be reconciled to Him through the blood of Jesus on the cross.  That's love.  It was love that found me that April night what seems like forever ago.  And it's been a journey for sure to get where I am from where I was, but Jesus is LORD and when I give Him that, when I show Him I love Him by obeying His commands, then I can have this unbelievable relationship with Him, with the Father, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  That's pretty cool.

And it never ceases to amaze me.

I started this with a question about where your gaze is.  I find mine tonight is on God, in love, and surrender to His plans for my life over my own.  That's a pretty good thing to be looking at.

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