It's a Circus Around Here

   

 I remember one year when Mary Taylor and Brady were little that the circus came to town.  We were so excited!  We were going to take them to see a REAL circus!   Elephants, tight rope walkers, acrobats, jugglers, lion tamers--the works.  The day arrived and we headed to our seats.  But somehow the circus looked quite different than I had imagined.  The glitter wasn't quite so glittery and the animals looked old.  The highlight of the entire thing was when one of the acrobats accidentally slammed into the wall of the arena and yelled a cuss word all the way around the auditorium.  End of show.

    Sometimes life happens this way as well.  When we are young, we think of adult life kind of like we did when we were anticipating the circus.  We look at it through rose-colored glasses, only considering those most wonderful parts.  From that view and perspective we really can't understand the challenges and struggles. We can not imagine, as children, that being an adult sometimes feels like the juggler at the circus.  Is it just me or do you ever go through seasons where you are juggling responsibilities like balls up in the air?  I have found myself feeling like one of the balls is going to drop at any minute. This is not the way I was meant to live.

   As I sat before the Lord this morning I read this:

"I keep asking that the God of our lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, 

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know 

the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 

and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working 

of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead 

and seated him at His right hand in the heavenly realms..."

     As I considered these verses and thought realistically about the week, my perspective changed. The "eyes of my heart became enlightened" as I realized all the times that God has given me the wisdom I needed right when I needed it.  I sat down to write a lesson (that I did not need until next week) and God had a friend call that very minute who reminded me I didn't need it yet.  I regrouped and worked on something that was current.  I did not waste one minute.  I had an appointment and God reminded me of it in just enough time to get to the place on time.  I really did forget an appointment last week, but it had gotten cancelled due to snow--I just didn't know it.  But I see the pattern, God did know.  He knows better than I do.  

     I noticed this morning that as I was having my quiet time, thoughts would fly at me about this thing or that responsibility.  I would begin to feel anxious and nervous that I was going to forget or not get something done.  The fruit from those thoughts was anxiety and that is not a fruit of the Spirit.  It hit me (like a ball dropping) that maybe the enemy was at the root of this anxiety (duh).  And I realized as I recalled the week that God really is in control of this wild and crazy life (duh again).   My job is just to listen and to do the next thing I am supposed to do.  If I will just trust Him, and listen, then I do not have to be swayed by those anxious feelings.  God knows which of those balls needs to keep being juggled and which ones can drop.  

     It is not His best option that I live stressed.  He told Joshua to "be strong and courageous" right before he took the reins of leading all of the Israelites into the Promised Land.  I can not imagine how much pressure he felt knowing that he was going to have to follow one of the most faithful leaders ever,  Moses.  In addition to that job, Joshua was going to have to lead his people--who were not warriors--to conquer some established fortified cities.  And they did it!  Not only did they conquer the enemy but God did it in such way that everyone knew that it was only God who could have been responsible.

     So if we are feeling like a clown at the circus today,  we need to be encouraged!  God is with us and He desires to help us.  We are not alone and we do not have to carry burdens we were not meant to bear.  He can show us which balls to let drop.  And he promises that his "load is easy and his burden is light" so that whatever is left will be exactly the right amount.

     The truth is that our life in Christ is to be greater than any circus.  It is the real deal and we can rejoice that our part in the big picture is valuable and worthwhile.  But we are not meant to play every part and we have a Ringmaster who knows just which part we should play.  If we will keep our eyes on him and follow His direction then the whole show will be far better than we could have ever imagined.