Bubbles!

My soon-to-be five-year-old Granddaughter loves bubbles!  The last time she was over to my house we went through a large bottle of bubble solution within just a few moments and had a blast blowing, waving the wand and then chasing bubbles all around the yard!  She excitedly told me yesterday about a giant bubble producing machine that the children in her Children’s Church class got to play with!  Pretty special wouldn’t you say?

But when I think about it… children aren’t the only ones who enjoy playing with or getting stuck living their lives within a self-made BUBBLE!  Throughout the 36 plus years of ministry in local community churches, my wife and I regularly met individuals who lived in such a way as to defy the idea that others might think differently than they did... and if there were those who differed from them, those in their self-made “BUBBLES” did their best to stay separate from the others.

I guess if I really think about it… people in some respects, could have said the same thing about us… in fact… some did!  When my wife began to talk about her desire to home school our kids in the early 1980’s, most of our family and friends thought that she’d gone off the deep end!  They almost all began to imagine us moving to a farm in the middle of no-where, living off the land and totally separating our kids from society!  You may laugh at that scenario, but we ACTUALLY had people tell us that!  Remember too, that we lived in northern California where the mountains between us and the coast were scattered with many communes that began to pop up in those secluded areas around the time of “The Summer of Love” when bands of “Flower Children” congregated in San Francisco in the mid-1960’s.

Well… we didn’t move out of town to the boondock’s, but stayed put and became an active part of the Santa Rosa Christian School’s Independent Study Program.  In this unique set-up, the kids had to meet all the school’s and state education requirements, made lifelong friends, participated in the School’s band and sports programs and lived a “normal” life… except that they went to school at home with a personalized study program that my wife presided over with dedicated passion, constant hands-on involvement, lots of personal attention and tons of love! 

Now-a-days, homeschooling is just another valid choice of education that is offered by most city, county and private education systems… and with onset of the Corona Virus… it has almost become the schooling method of choice!  We learned early on that while my wife and I tended to thrive on taking the road less traveled, other’s around us didn’t always have the same perspective… we didn’t always fit into their “BUBBLE” of thought.

In my personal Bible Study time this morning, I put together a couple of versions of Philippians 4:4,6-7 in such a way as to better personalize and understand what I believe the Apostle Paul was trying to convey to his readers.  Combining parts of the God’s Word © and Passion Translation I wrote,

“Always be joyful in the Lord!  Don’t be pulled in different directions but instead be saturated in prayer, in the Word and in the grace of God throughout each and every day.  Offer up your faith-filled requests to God.  Stay intimate with Him and keep Him informed on every detail of your life.  THEN, the wonderful PEACE of God that transcends ALL human wisdom and understanding will guard your thoughts and emotions and make the answers known to you through Christ Jesus.”

The common thread that we witnessed in the various individuals and family’s that we met living within the type of “BUBBLE” that I mentioned above, was that seemed to be engaged in a constant struggle in their lives with WORRY, ANXIEY, FEAR and DOUBT.  On the average… they were NOT very happy folks… and not always pleasant to be around!  But on the other hand, we also were involved with other individuals and families who tended to live in a different kind of ‘BUBBLE”… one that seemed to permeate everything they said and did with an overwhelming and calming attitude of PEACE!

So, why the difference?  Well, that is simply and succinctly answered in Paul’s advice to the church in Philippi as recorded in Philippians 4:4,6-7.  One group tends to keep the focus of their lives on all the potential problems and difficulties that they currently face as well as those that they MAY face in the future.   While the others keep their attention on their ever-increasing knowledge of God’s intimate love for them as expressed through the promises in His Word.  These folks enjoy a life that stays joy-filled, positive, thankful and expectant of God’s best for them… And believe me when I say, that these people are a JOY to be around!

One thing that I have come to learn in my own life is that God’s PEACE actually has a spiritually tangible presence that I can feel in the midst of the circumstances in my life that I face while filled with the joy of the Lord that I have built up in me, through my study of His Word, the experiential knowing of His Grace and my personal expectation of Him doing exactly what He promises to us in His Word.

It is an ACTIVE FAITH that I have come to depend on and know that (like my kids and I like to say…) “This stuff (believing in the manifestation of God’s promises in my life) really works!”

I REALLY… REALLY… REALLY like it when I sense the presence of God’s PEACE in my life!  How about YOU?

Which “BUBBLE” would you prefer to live in?