God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) In the NKJV it translates – to Him who is able to do exceedingly ABUNDANTLY above all that we ask or think.
These words hold so much anticipation and expectation. Just like hope, these words can also, at times, cause us to feel unheard and invisible. I’ve been there.
But…
The following verse in the Message says this, “He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
This happened to me just the other day. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. This is how much Jesus loves ME!!!
I had a few errands to run, one which was to pick up my daughter’s school supplies through a contactless drive-thru. (Insert sad face) There were two days, Thursday between 2-6pm and Friday from 6am-6pm. Sixteen total hours of availability. Well, I decided to run my other quick errands first and then head to her school. I just had the thought, “It would be really cool if I saw a fellow mom (our daughter’s are friends) and I could just wave to her”. Even a wave to a familiar face is like pure heavenly bliss right now in our current quarantine life. Just a quick thought. Leave it to my Jesus to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think. I pull into the line behind two other cars. I give the sweet teacher my daughter’s info and pull up to the next point and pop open the trunk just as the van in front of me does the same. But then, the love of Jesus poured out on me – on this earth. The van driver’s door opened and out steps my fellow mom! In a sixteen hour window with a thought of maybe I’ll see her and I can wave – NO – He went abundantly above, far more than I could have requested and favored me with ten minutes of six-feet apart face to face conversation with a friend. Come ON! This was no random occurrence, it was the Word of God in real life. Oh how He loves me.
See, the thing is He tells us that He works this in us deeply and gently. He isn’t loud or obnoxious. He’s kind and so willing to do anything for us. He’s wild about us and He is passionate about the hunger in our hearts – because He put them there! I think we can so easily read this verse and claim it and then quickly feel like He doesn’t even hear us. It’s deep and gentle. So many times for me He’s subtle and if I did not chose to see it as His love for me, I would have missed it. I’m not sure how you hear Jesus or how you know His love for you is great, but I would like to share mine with you. It’s in my mind’s ear. I will have a thought: to say hello to that person – to tell the cashier her earrings are cute – to pick up that piece of trash in the street – to always return my grocery cart (even in the snow) – the words that will flow out of me in a conversation parenting my children that were not of my own wisdom – a friend pops in my head to text – to stand in a certain line at Trader Joe’s. These are things that are deep in my spirit, but oh so gentle. They aren’t crazy things, most of the time, but everyday ways that He turns my ordinary moments into sacred ones.
My dear friend, you may not ever know how quickly my very ordinary day turned sacred the moment you stepped out of your van. It’s cliché but the absolute truth – in these days more than ever – the little things are not so little.
I earnestly and wholeheartedly pray you have ordinary moments straight up turned sacred because you open your heart to the pure awesomeness of how much Jesus loves you. Have a thought – they’re prayers – He’s always listening and He wants to blow you away!