HD TV

We have a high definition television.  When I watch TV with my family, I drive them crazy because I don't use the HD channels.  I just haven't taken the time to remember the HD channels and, besides, the other channels seem fine.   At least they were, until I saw something new. 

One day, while watching a show on HD I saw them..... freckles on the face of a familiar actress.  I had seen her several times before, but I had never seen her freckles.  I was stunned.  How could I have missed them?   I wondered what else I had missed.  All this time, I was satisfied with the quality of the picture.  But as I looked at the picture in HD, I realized I was settling for good, when better was available to me.

I do that in my life sometimes.  I settle for things I know; things that are comfortable.  Usually those things are good.  But are they the best?  Is there something that's better for me?   If there is, what stops me from letting go of the good and reaching for the better?  It's usually complacency.   What's before me is fine; it works, so why try out the new thing.   Don't fix what isn't broken.  Right?  Maybe.  But often, that new thing challenges me, stretches me, and makes me see things in a new way.  It adds color, depth, and richness to my life.

So now I use the HD channels.  (I do feel bad for actors and newscasters, though.  You can see all the blemishes, flaws, and wrinkles that the make-up artists try so hard to cover up!)  I enjoy seeing all the details in the picture.  And I am reminded that it's okay to let go and try new things....

A Hijacking

My life was recently hijacked.....  Thankfully, the culprit has been caught.   It was me.   I hijacked my life from God.  

Now, I didn't put a gun to God and tell Him to let me take over.  But by going my own way, refusing to listen to Him, and not asking for assistance or even any advise, I hijacked my life.  'It's your life,' you may say, 'how can you steal something that's yours?'   Ahhh- but my life is not my own.  I belong to God.  He's the one who bought me with the blood of Christ.  He's the one with the plan.  He knows where I'm to go and how I'm to get there.  He's the one with the power and the knowledge.  Yet, there are times when I have chosen to live as though I am my own; that I'm the one with the plan.  And I do have plans.  The problem is my plans don't always align with God's plans for me.  And honestly, I don't even think to ask Him.

It's during those times that I find myself lost and confused.  I'm not sure where I am or how I'm going to get to where I want to go.  Quite frankly, I'm not sure where I really want to go anyway.  So I am left feeling lost, alone, frustrated, and a little scared.

So what did I do when I realized I had hijacked my life again?  I stopped, confessed my crime (sins) and asked for forgiveness.  The beautiful thing about God is that when I ask, He always forgives.  His grace and mercy flow generously over my life and heart.  Upon thanking Him for His wonderful gift, I asked for help, direction, and wisdom.  I let Him decide where I go, how I get there, and when.  And now my life is filled with peace and contentment. 

Along the way, I know I will be tempted to go my own way again.  I pray that in those times, God reminds of the uncertainty when I go my way and that I'll leave the driving to Him...