Sunday, September 9, 2012

Guest Post: 4th Frog

I made friends with Amy of The 4th Frog Blog very early in my blogging career.  I always enjoy her writing and her sense of humor.  I really enjoyed this post from her and hope you will, too!

**


While Liz is jetting off to places down south to light her spiritual fire, I'm back here in Indiana serving up a little food for thought -- my own brand of Lizdom, if you will.

I'm really excited for Liz. You can see in her writing how alive even the idea of this trip makes her feel. I've had those spiritual experiences -- some of them lasting weeks or months, where I was just fervent in my wonder at all God was doing in my life. And I've had my desert moments --  I wonder why that Footprints poem is set on a beach? My lowest times sure felt more Mojave than Malibu.

My husband broke his ankle about 10 days ago, tripping on what we now refer to as the most expensive Goodwill pile ever. He didn't just break it in a slap-a-cast-on-it way. No, he managed to do one of those this-will-need-surgery-and-a-long-time-to-recover numbers. I've tried to look at this through a spiritual lens. Maybe God was telling us we need to slow down. Maybe He was telling us we need to pick up the bedroom more often. Maybe God wasn't saying a darn thing and Mike just needs to watch where he is walking.

The other day at Mass, I ran into an old friend. After church, I mentioned we were going out to dinner. She said she was alone for the night and she'd join us. It was great to spend time with her. She is one of those friends who I don't see or talk to often, but who I can pick right back up with whenever our paths cross. Being in the same place at the same time and both free for dinner -- was that a God thing? It did happen at church. Or was it just a predictable coincidence?

There are some people who would say that God things are explainable, are just matters of interpretation, don't really have anything to do with God at all. And there are others who will go down fighting with their whole hearts and souls that God is indeed the conductor of our lives, allowing these things to happen -- maybe even orchestrating them -- as a sign of His faithfulness.

For me, I think the biggest God thing of all happens when I move through my life with my eyes and heart open to the possibility for God to work even simple miracles through me and for me. Even if that miracle is a clean bedroom.


**

Thank you for this post, Amy!  Ironically, there was a message that came along during the Conference that marries nicely with this message.  What it boiled down to was that we can believe that every little thing is a God thing- every moment, every choice, every circumstance is part of God's plan.  And maybe it is.  But we can't presume to know His ways.  So whether every bit of life is a God thing or if certain parts are a God thing- it doesn't really matter.  His ways are a great mystery and being open to His possibilities is the best way for His work to be done- whether we understand it or not!

Photobucket

3 comments:

C. Beth said...

That is a great message! Thank you both!

Nancy said...

How fun is this? Two of my favorite bloggers in the same place!!

Janet said...

Amy -- great post.

My thought - Mike's broken ankle was not caused by God to tell him/you to slow down. But God will use the broken ankle for good - perhaps to show you the benefits of slowing down. So yes it is a God thing.

Dinner with the girl friend? This too is a God thing. You both decided (were nudged) to attend mass at the same time. This was the start of the path to dinner together.

How come I can see the God things in another person's life easier than in my own?!