Day 124
Scripture focus: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV
When we closed in our screened porch it provided me the opportunity to shop for carpet. I hustled over to my favorite carpet store in search of a deal. Over the years, I discovered that the pricey carpets in the display cases were attractive, but the remnants in the storage room were cheap. So when the sales guy steered me to the expensive samples, I hedged toward the back of the store. "Don't you have some remnants that would work? It's a small room, and the last time I was here."
"Nope! No remnants. But I have some lovely designer rugs that would look fabulous in your new room."
I didn't end up buying carpet from my favorite store.
It's possible that there were no remnants that would work in my sun room - but I felt like this young man was holding back. Right or wrong, I intuited that he preferred to sell me the expensive stuff.
As I drove off, I realized my assumptions about this salesperson mirrored my preconceived notions of God. I thought about how often I've tried to sidle past God - to get a look at the back room.
I know God teaches me about limits - and asks me to live within them. But I wonder if I pushed past them might I find something cool behind the curtain (Remember the curtain in The Wizard of Oz?).
James Pardue, former pastor of Bon Air Baptist Church, taught me that temptation is often a suggested shortcut to that which we believe will ultimately be for good. Temptations aren't all about the naughty. They're usually more about how to get to the nice faster.
It turns out my instincts were right about the carpet. Eventually I found just what I was looking for at a reasonable price. But when it comes to God and my suspicions about the good life - I was wrong.
Limits are gifts from God. When we accept our limitations, we invite God to push past them. He is far better at overcoming my shortcomings than I am. And any limitations that he chooses not to remove must be there for a good reason.
If we want to experience the abundant life, we'll first have to practice the principle of trusting God with the limitations.
Recommended reading: Judges 17 and 18 in the morning; John 3 and Psalm 104 in the evening
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