"AND LET US RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE GOD HAS SET BEFORE US." Hebrews 12:3a

Some days I just feel like a frog in a frying pan...

There's a story that's been told about two frogs who fell into a vat of cream. These frogs knew they would soon die if they didn't keep paddling as fast as they could yet, try as they might, they could not jump out. It was not long before the first little frog became too tired to go on. He gave up, and, alas, he drowned in that vat of cream. The second frog persevered until he eventually churned that cream into butter. He was able to stand on top of the butter and hop out of the vat safe and sound - though very, very tired!

I remembered this little fable often during the time that my brother was sick. No matter how much pain he was in or how bleak the future looked, he kept leaning on God and fighting the good fight. When it took 3 1/2 years to receive his transplant - he kept fighting. When he developed complications from the transplant - he kept fighting. When he spent 9 months in the hospital away from his family and friends - he kept fighting. When his body literally petrified, leaving him paralyzed - he kept fighting. When he was in excruciating pain - he kept fighting.

It was not long before the mantra FROG - Fully Rely On God - began to have a deeper meaning to us. He was still leaning on God and fighting the good fight until God answered our prayers to heal him by taking him Home. That was eight years ago, but I still miss him dearly. And every time I see a frog, I think of him and feel challenged to Fully Rely On God - to fight the good fight - no matter what life throws my way. That's what this blog is about - the things God is teaching me and the tools He is giving me to walk that walk. Or should I say hop that hop - because sometimes life just feels like a great big frying pan!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My Father's Eyes

I think I was about 16 the first time I heard “My Father’s Eyes” by Amy Grant. It was one of my favorite songs back then, but I can honestly say I have probably not heard it in 15 or 20 years. Yet it has been stuck in my head the last couple of days, and I cannot get it out!


Eyes full of compassion
Seeing every pain
Knowing what you’re going through
And feeling it the same.
Just like my Father’s eyes.

     I figured out why this song has been looping through my brain as soon as I read the last few verses of chapter 15.
     There is a crowd of 4,000 men and their families gathered around Jesus, and Jesus calls his disciples together and says, “Look, these poor people have been here for three days. They have got to be starving. We have to feed them.”
     Sound familiar? The disciples just experienced this same situation so their heartbeats should be racing right now in anticipation of what is about to happen, but no. They immediately start questioning Jesus. Can you believe it? Well, I should. I do it all the time. But I digress.
     “But where are we going to get food out here in the middle of the forest?” Unbelievable!
     Well, this time it is seven loaves of bread and a few small fish, but the results are the same. God provided all they needed and then some, but something different does strike me here. Jesus initiated the action this time. When I began meditating on this part of the scriptures, the chorus to My Father’s Eyes began playing in my mind.

Eyes full of compassion
Seeing every pain
Knowing what you’re going through
And feeling it the same.
Just like my Father’s eyes.

     God’s been talking to me about my focus lately. In chapter 14 he pointed out that the disciples needed to be focused on Him and not on the fact that they didn’t have enough food to feed everyone. How frustrating that they still focused on what they didn’t have instead of on Jesus! But something new hits me here. If they had been focused on Jesus, they would have seen the world around them through His eyes. That is what I want! That is the result of keeping my eyes and heart focused on Him and not the world around me. It is not that I won’t see the world, but I will then see it through His eyes and not mine. Wow! What a different world it is when we look at it through His eyes.
     Lord, help me stay focused today. Help me see the people and situations that I encounter through your eyes and not mine. Guard my words and actions accordingly so that I might bring glory and honor to you. May the people I meet today feel your love and power. What a might God you are!
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