April 13, 2011

A Lesson from 'The Lost and Found'

And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.  Jer. 29:13  (KJV)

Have you ever lost something, and looked all over the place for it---in every place imaginable, but lost hope in ever finding it?    I have.   The time and energy spent searching can prove to be exhausting, not to mention frustrating.   Then there's the feeling of "am I losing my mind?  Why can't I remember where I put that??"   

Remember the lessons from "The little lost zebra?"  (you can read about them here and here)  Well, the day before yesterday I noticed my daughter's old book bag ~ one that she chose to "recycle" by stuffing it full of some of her "things."    Hoping to not find any old snacks (LOL), I reached in to find a few books, a pocket calendar, some manicure things.  Then as I reached into another "zippered compartment" I thought I felt a pair of raggedy old socks.  As I pulled the "object" out of the back pack I realized I was holding "baby zebra's" raggedy nose!  



Imagine my surprise to see that zebra had been found!! 
He had NOT been donated, as previously thought!

Oh, Thank You, Lord!  You knew all along where this little zebra was!   You allowed this to happen for a reason. . . and through the time of "not having zebra," He taught me several lessons.   But what in the world could He teach me from zebra being FOUND?   Hmmm.  
 

"What lesson can I learn from this, Father?"
Almost as soon as I finished asking, the Holy Spirit reminded me of "Ye shall seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart."   Then I replied, "But I wasn't actually 'seeking zebra' when I found him." 

Then the Lord gave me this thought: Sometimes I seek God for an answer, I mean I really seek after Him to the point of what could be labeled "pestering." (I know He's not pestered by us, but from a human stand point, I'd have been pestered by me.)   Anyway, I finally "release the issue" and basically "give up my grip" on the situation then sometime down the road, the Lord pops in and COMPLETELY surprises me with an answer. Total Shock!   It seems as though God likes to surprise us with good things....


"Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above..."  James 1:17

Could it be that maybe He even wants to see us do the "right thing" by seeking after Him...then after a long while of seeking to "no avail," a change in our hearts take place:   We loosen our grip, and just relax in the "sea of His sovereignty."   Then maybe He sees a peaceful calm overtake our hearts.  That's when He sees His reflection---then He says, "Okay...she's waited long enough...now I'll give her a surprise answer that will bless her socks off!"    I don't know....could be.  


Are you gripping on to something so tightly?
Asking God for an answer, but feeling like He is not there?

Just let go and relax in the "sea of His Sovereignty." 
Soon His peace will come over you,

and He'll begin to see
His reflection in your heart.
 

Could it be that's what He's been waiting for?
Oh Father, Thank You for using some every-day-"life occurrences" to teach us deep, valuable spiritual truths.   Please search our hearts, as we've been so desperately seeking You for some answer.  Our hearts have been troubled, wondering "why You've not answered us."  Yet, all along, you've just wanted us to release our tight grip on the "situations of life" and let go.   Help us to relax in the "sea of Your sovereignty."  Allow us to realize that You are sovereignly in control of every single detail of our lives.  As we let go and just relax, we can float peacefully in Your Sovereign control.  That's when we hope You will find us to become more and more a reflection of Your dear Son.    We pray for help in releasing our grip and relaxing in Your Sovereignty this very day!  In Jesus' Name, Amen.
 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.  Jer. 32:40

5 comments:

  1. Hi! Girl, when I read this, I looked just like that smiley face! I said OMG! I loved this! and then the profound message was there! WoW! we just so under~estimate our Lord! I have found myself lately just begging God! I mean just exhausted! We just so don't have to pester or beg do we?...I am so happy:) for Zibra find! what did daughter do? Let us know please!! will e-mail soon! Love and Blessings!

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  2. Hey Ya Sweet GORGEOUS Sis!!!! THANKS Oooodles for your note ...It really warmed my heart..May blessings and Love from God above be on you today and all week...Prayers and Hugs Dena
    You're ALWAYS a bright spot in my day!!!

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  3. Thanks y'all! :) Y'all are the bright spot in my day too! I forgot to mention Alysa's reaction. I had placed "zebra" on her bed within the small "pile" of 3 new stuffed animals that her Dad bought for her. I watched her as she noticed "something's different" about her bed. It was an extra set of stripes. (Dad bought her a small zebra..so now she was seeing the new tiny zebra and then another set of stripes that belonged to "The" zebra.) LOL She just stood there in disbelief..then a smile came over her face. . then in a split second she grabbed zebra and looked him over because she thought I had tried to "buy another one and pretend it was the real zebra." LOL I told her "Nope! No way could I put 10 years of wear and tear on that thing!" HA Needless to say, he's back to where he used to be..in a little pile with new "brothers and sisters" and the lil lamb that was recovered from the thrift store. They're the originals. LOL What an "event" in the household! But, all is well! :) Hee hee

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  4. Thank you for posting this. I want to share with you that when I read about the li'l lost zebra last week, I felt heartbroken, both for your daughter and for you. I am also a mom, and I also have a daughter... When I finished reading the post, I took time to come to GOd with a very special prayer: I pleaded with Him and prayed that the little zebra be found and returned to the heartbroken little girl who owns her.

    I came here this morning with a personal concern... not expecting that God would meet me here. I never thought that the post would be anything about the lost zebra, but when I glanced at the title, my heart skipped a beat and I thought, "Could it be that the zebra has been found?" Oh dear Tammi... how I am rejoicing with you over this - cause now it had also become an answer to my own prayer.

    Dear friend, what touched me the most were your thoughts about releasing our tight grip on things that we may relax and float in the sea of His sovereignty... that we may give God the freedom to mold us and shape us into becoming a reflection of His son Jesus...

    It spoke so deeply to my heart as I am going through something this season.

    Thank you for this post which spoke so much to me this early morning, Tammi (3:42a.m.)

    Love
    Lidj

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  5. Dear Lidj, Thank you so much for praying for us to find zebra---and now our Lord has answered your prayer---not only to receive glory for that, but also to teach us a valuable lesson. :) I'm so thankful for His sovereignty. What is so encouraging to me is that He knows your heart, and what you're going through---and He used this lesson to speak deeply to your heart as well. :) Such a blessing! God is so good! I'm sending you a great big hug! Mmmm! :)
    Love,
    Tammi

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! It's such a joy to my heart! "Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above..." You are a gift to my heart! To God be the glory! :o)