17 minutes til 9

Rushing out of the house with my two youngest children, I passively opened the door of my spirit to frustration.  It came in and took a seat on my soul.  I cranked the car, put it in reverse and began the morning driving to the other side of town.  It was during this time of frustration, that the potential for all things to be an obstacle, presented itself to me like an aroma given off by a flower to a bee.    No matter what it was in that moment:  red lights, sudden stops, vehicles merging or children blaring, as they do about their child-like agenda for the day they all flooded into the sea of thoughts about my being behind schedule and clashed with the uncertainty of whether or not I would fulfill the tasks of the day – adding to the frustration.  My responses to everything around me indicated that I was momentarily interconnected to the very thing that desired to have me digress and behave in a lower nature – the flesh. This cannot be.

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.

1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.

Together they created a sliding board for other unwelcomed thoughts and emotions into my conscience:  anxiety, heaviness, elevated temperament and last but not least frustration. The more I focused and entertained these thoughts; the more power I availed for the obstacles to run their course and diminish the hope that exists within me. There is life within me and it is to be appropriately distributed.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

When our hope is attacked we must counter this attack with belief. By refusing to release our joy and peace to attitudes of the flesh that do not and cannot glorify God, we are able to mature and be effective agents of change in many areas of our life and in the life of others. Making such a commitment will allow room for our patience to flow so that we are able to see, think and speak clearly to that which is trying to come against us.

Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

As I glanced at the time, it was 8:43.  My primary focus was on just how close the time was to 9 (The big picture).  Frustration growing louder, I sensed in my spirit that I should consider the minutes that were available.  17 minutes (the minor details).  Many times we are so accustomed to looking at the big picture but fail to look at the minor details. There is a wealth of information to be explored in the minor details including comfort, but I couldn’t see that initially. Minutes can be broken down into seconds and seconds down into milliseconds.  Perhaps this is an indication that we must understand that God is still able to move when minor issues present themselves in our lives.  He is able to work things out, we must stay out of the way of it, meaning, we can’t get overwhelmed, frustrated, and anxious or whatever emotion tries to rise up. In order for the bigger picture of our lives to reflect the beauty and holiness of God, we must surrender even the small things to God.  Only He is able to keep us from falling. Time is in God’s hands.

I once heard someone say, don’t major in the minor.  I agree.  Don’t sweat the small stuff either.  Turn it over to God.

No matter what presents itself, when we know the Word of God, we come to understand that God has plenty of time to move on our behalf.

What part can we play in this?

1.       Pray. Instead of worrying or as I was, becoming frustrated, we must use the energy to pray. Pray about the situation until we reach the level of breakthrough that we need to render that obstacle powerless.   

2.      Focus on God. Although situations may look hopeless, remaining focused on God, will keep the pathway clear for His wisdom to flow.

3.       Crucify the flesh and do not conform to its ways.  The flesh is enmity against God so understanding that it can’t and won’t glorify God is enough reason to reject its uprising and attempts to influence us by crucifying it with the Word of God.

4.      Trust God to transform us. Like the minutes, we must respond but only in God’s time.  God’s way is the only way.

Once I accepted the revelation that God was able to do much more than I could ever ask or think in those 17 minutes, joy and peace fell upon me.  The ride became smoother and I arrived where I needed to on time.  On the next occasion you find that frustration is knocking at the door of your soul, don’t open it.  God still has time to work all things out. 

When we believe, and act on the Word of God, we are filled with ALL joy and peace.  Think about it.

Be blessed!