I have had my share of x-rays over the years. An x-ray will show what the eye cannot see. It goes beyond all perception and brings a matter into full focus. We get an x-ray when there is a problem. Maybe we are hurting. Could something be broken? There are all kinds of tests that show what is going on deeper than the eye can see. Once the test is complete we then wait on the results. That waiting can be tough. Our mind begins to wonder and worry, forgetting that whatever the test shows God is still God and He is in control.
You gotta love God's x-ray vision. He can see straight into our heart, past all the blockages, the brokenness, the hardened places. He sees what others cannot see. The heart is the life center. It's the beginning and end. Once we open our heart to Him, the Great Physician, He will bring healing to those places we once thought impossible. He can bring new life that flows grace passed all that once kept us from living true joy.
Ever think of those tests in life as x-rays for God to do His most amazing work? It's through those tests that God is revealed. There have been times in my life when these tests were evident of God. For me, they were unwanted and uncomfortable, but for God to reveal His workings, they were needed. The purpose of the tests that came and are still coming are of greater value than my comfortable wants.
Sometimes what God shows us is extraordinary. We stand back in awe of what He has revealed and we say, "Wow, how cool is that!" But there are other times in fact that what He is revealing has a bit of a sting. After all, He sees straight to our heart. He sees what is hidden deeply that others cannot see.
He wants to bring about change in our lives. He wants to bring healing. He wants us to be exposed so that we can then humbly understand how unique and complex we truly are. If we don't allow Him the room and the time for testing, how will we ever become who He has created us to be?
Just as if we must have a broken bone set. We wouldn't go to a seamstress. We would be in search of a great physician who we could trust to set our bone. If there were blockages in need of repair, we sure wouldn't seek out a dentist. My point is, why do we not seek out God for every need we have? He is the Great Physician. There isn't anything He cannot heal. Nothing broken He cannot mend. No blockages too big for Him.
Instead we put it off. We let decay and hardness build up and then when it's almost too late we drive in to the doctor. Only for him to tell us, "If you would have come to me sooner, surgery would have been much easier. Now that you have waited it is going to take longer to recover." Ouch. Boy, am I guilty of this. Why do we wait? Sometimes it's that very hurt. That pain that brings us to finally say, "I've had enough. I want more. I want better!" We pick ourselves up off the couch and decide that today is the day for a new beginning.
That is exactly what God is waiting for. He is waiting for us to realize there is more. Life can be in fact better. With Him all things are possible. With Him we find purpose. Even in the small daily tasks. We find new joy that goes way beyond any happiness we were once on the search for.
Stepping into that x-ray machine might be uncomfortable for us. But we must get used to being uncomfortable. It's in that very uncomfortable moment that God calls us out and asks, "Won't you stand with Me? Won't you serve with Me? Won't you walk with Me? Won't you allow Me to do the healing that is needed?"
Rehabilitation can be terribly hard. I had to endure this physical therapy for almost two years in two surgeries on my wrist. It was grueling and there were tears that appeared during every visit that lasted two hours. If I would have passed on the physical therapy my wrist would not be working today. It would not function to it's best ability. Does it work exactly as it did before the injury? No, it will never be the same. But I can say the same for each and every test I have gone through. Within each test, each journey, God has brought me to a new place. It is a journey that continues as long as I keep my focus on Him. With Him as my focus I can see what needs to be done and where He is calling me. When I look to Him He opens my heart in unexpected ways and He chisels away at those hard and rough spots. He brings nourishment those places that were once dying.
Jesus Christ brings life and abundant life. He and only can bring about true and healing change that will set us apart and bring us to be who He has called and created us to be in Him.
Rehabilitation can be terribly hard. I had to endure this physical therapy for almost two years in two surgeries on my wrist. It was grueling and there were tears that appeared during every visit that lasted two hours. If I would have passed on the physical therapy my wrist would not be working today. It would not function to it's best ability. Does it work exactly as it did before the injury? No, it will never be the same. But I can say the same for each and every test I have gone through. Within each test, each journey, God has brought me to a new place. It is a journey that continues as long as I keep my focus on Him. With Him as my focus I can see what needs to be done and where He is calling me. When I look to Him He opens my heart in unexpected ways and He chisels away at those hard and rough spots. He brings nourishment those places that were once dying.
Jesus Christ brings life and abundant life. He and only can bring about true and healing change that will set us apart and bring us to be who He has called and created us to be in Him.
"Wait patiently on the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Psalm 27:14
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love."
Romans 5:3-5
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"
2 Corinthians 5:17
"He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
Psalm 103:12
"For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to whom we are accountable."
Hebrews 4:12-13
"For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the One to whom we are accountable."
Hebrews 4:12-13
