Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishig.com
Growing up, the term “out of sight, out of mind” described me quite well. I was forever in search of everyday items such as my belt, coats, money and even my glasses. I have backtracked more than a bounty hunter in an effort to locate my belongings. I had a talent for placing things in places I was guaranteed to forget.
Another adage, “some things never change,” also fits me like a glove. I am still known for buying the same items two or three times in a short period of time, not because I ran out of them but because I couldn’t locate them in the cupboard or refrigerator. They were dead to me, and I was blind to them.
After a variety of surpluses begin to emerge, I instinctively blame the cat, family members, neighbors and Bigfoot for hiding stuff that should have been right where I left it. As it turns out, many of my things were where I left them, just moved far enough out of sight to be lost forever. If I don’t see it, it isn’t there.
As I evaluated my recent surpluses, it got me to wondering how often my spiritual life reflects my tendency to lose things that are just out of sight. I have often asked God for mercy, while forgetting that the Bible declares His mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). His mercy is awaiting my waking, not the specific needs of my day.
Troubles and cares are also a favorite duo that can cloud my awareness of the Lord’s presence in my life. Aren’t we all easily overwhelmed by the concerns that can present themselves on any given day? They intrude rudely into our calm routines, announcing that all is not well.
God may not have planted us in a rose garden, but He did leave us His Word, filled with wisdom and instructions for all our worries. Any sort of trouble that arises is a good indication that God is near, for He promises that He will be “an ever present help in time of trouble” (Ps. 46:1). The first part of the verse reminds us that God is our refuge and strength. I tend to think of Him more as my help, but not so much my strength. Perhaps, that is caused by sometimes living on “autopilot” and forgetting that we need His strength to successfully navigate all areas of life, not just the problems.
Another verse, full of promise and assurance, tells us to “cast our anxieties on Him, for He cares for us” (1 Pet. 5:7). He is always concerned for us because we matter to Him.
When we take the Word of God seriously, we find a lot of things that were never missing. We have His help, His concern and His full attention. Though many things can go wrong or missing in life, there is always a path that leads us home to what matters and what truly needs to be found, like this one, found in 2 Cor. 5:9: “… we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.” If we start here, we are sure to end well.