Black and White or Color?

You remember how I talked about the wonderful weather that we were having out here in North Carolina last week?  Well it was short-lived!  We’ve got rain coming late this afternoon more tomorrow and then a strong possibility of snow on Wednesday morning.

Doesn’t spring start tomorrow?  What’s wrong with this picture?  Oh well… I am not really complaining.  I have actually been enjoying the variety of weather out here since we moved from Californian in 2014.  When we left the West Coast, they were in the middle of a drought and it seemed like everyday was the same as the one before.  Maybe it was just time for us to move.  I guess I was getting bored with the same forecast day in and day out!

On the other coast of America, we get a little of every kind of weather, although our location seems to be in such an area where we usually do not get the extreme weather they get to the north and sometimes to the south of us as well.  Once again, I guess God knew what He was doing when He put it in my heart to move a few years back.

One very important thing that both my wife and I have learned over the years is to follow that leading when it comes!  Without a doubt, following those unique leadings of His has brought us through some of the most exciting times in our marriage!  And sure, there are always trials and tribulations that enter in while in the midst of such adventures but I Corinthians 10:13 encourages us that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (ESV) 

I am a firm believer that God wouldn’t have given us (or any Christian for that matter) a leading, direction or faith project to embark upon unless He knew that we had what it took to complete the task.  Notice that our scripture above says that He “will not let you be tempted beyond your ability…”  You see, God knows better than anyone else what you and I have got inside of us.  He knows our personal giftings and talents (after all he gave them to us… right?), He knows our life experiences, He knows how much Word we’ve been putting inside of us and most important of all, He knows how obedient to his will we are!

Over the years in the ministry I have seen countless examples of how our heavenly Father takes all of that in us and uses it for His purposes and for His glory!  And it seems like He does it differently for just about everyone.  He is definitely not Black and White in His methods.  As I’ve talked about in some recent posts, our Papa God’s methods are FULL of grace! 

It became pretty clear to Piper and I that the individuals who criticized and persecuted us for some of the directions we have taken as we have traveled along this current journey, were looking at our situation from a very limited perspective, one that was most likely heavily influenced by their own set of experiences and personal giftings and talents.  That’s not to say that their makeups were any less valuable or important than ours or ours than theirs… they were just different! 

I was commenting to Piper after church yesterday that it is uncanny in some respects, of how God prepared us while in Oklahoma, for the long and tough journey that we were already in the midst of but didn’t quite realize it yet.  And while I do have many pleasant memories of our time in Oklahoma with my Bible School training and experiences, the church we attended, my job at the South Tulsa Home Depot and all the wonderful people we were privileged to become acquainted with, much of that time was quite difficult as it seemed like all I did was to go to school, work, take Piper to a myriad of doctors for exams, tests and scans and then watch over her, with the loving and able assistance of our youngest daughter, as Piper began to exhibit many unusual changes on almost a daily basis!

But yet, we did return home power-packed with the Word of God in us, full of good counsel and practical understanding of the Word of God and how it works in our lives and strong in Faith that He will do what He says He will do in His Word.  Most people that we were close to back home saw the change in us, while only a few seemed oblivious to it.  When you live a Black and White life, you tend to miss the beautiful COLOR that’s all around you.

When you look through the Roll-Call-of-Faith in Hebrews chapter eleven, you can’t help but notice that some of the people named in that famous list of people that God highly exalted, did not always live the most exemplary of lives.  They had ups and downs in their lives but thank the Lord that Papa God did and still does not look at us in the limiting tones of Black and White!  I believe that He actively looks for the COLOR in each of our lives today… just like He did with the heroes of our faith back then!

When we trip and fall, He reaches down and extends us a hand, will help us to discover why we fell (when we ask Him to) and will love us through until we learn to not make the same mistake again… and then help us to move on – and succeed - in the next challenge that He has for us!

I think that’s pretty cool… don’t you?  Makes me want to explore new frontiers with Him… You too?

Have a great week, enjoy the weather in your area, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “How Black and White or looking for the COLOR, am I expecting to be in my life’s interactions with other people today?”