True Coordinates

 

Do you ever just feel like you got lost in life's shuffle? Everything, even non-caregiving stuff, can seem overwhelming at times. But we can't lay aside our caregiver responsibilities just to take care of other life needs. There's no "off" button for caregiving. Even if we get a break for a couple of hours or a day or two, we are so connected to our phones we can't relax. (Maybe it's just me.)

On a daily basis, there are just so many things to take care of, and it seems like there are more of them all the time. I'm pretty sure that's just my imagination, but I'm not totally convinced! Lol. Life just goes on, whether we agree to it or not. And our proverbial plates just seem to get piled higher and higher. It's easy to wonder if God lost sight of us. In our hearts, we know by faith that He sees all and knows all, right? But emotionally, it can sure feel like He doesn't see. Occasionally, I emerge out of the caregiver's fog and remind myself that He sees every small detail. But there's always that question, does He really?

I read a scripture this morning that helped convince me that God sees more than we give Him credit for. I've been thinking about Jonah. He prayed an awesome prayer from the belly of that whale! But it was his own bad choices that caused him to end up there. He purposefully disobeyed God's command. God said, "Go to Ninevah." So, Jonah got in a boat going in the totally opposite direction. On purpose. Determined disobedience. But the last verse of chapter 1 says that God prepared a fish. That fish swallowed Jonah.

While I find that quite amazing, there was something new I thought about as I was reading it again this morning. Somehow, God had the fish at just the right spot to catch Jonah as the fishermen were throwing him out of their boat. That's some great coordination. If you think about the whole earth, all the waters, and all the infinite places that fish and Jonah could have been, it's quite a God-like feat. The fish was right where it needed to be at the specific time it needed to be there to catch the bait, I mean Jonah. God had both the fish and Jonah's true coordinates. We miss these "tiny" miracles sometimes, don't we?

If God knew where Jonah was, even though he had rebelled and sinned, doesn't He surely know where we are? Especially if we are seeking Him and not running from Him like Jonah? As I thought about how miraculous the coordination of this event was, it brought me comfort and reminded me of God's intent gaze toward me - toward you. He knows right where we are.

Today, I'll remind myself that God can see me through the layers of caregiving. He looks past my hurts, my fears, my concerns, and even my needs - and sees me. I'll be thankful He's not preparing a fish for me - but He did prepare the cross for us. My meditations will be on His mercy, His grace, and His love for me today. I'll be thankful there are no "off" buttons or "pause" buttons on His attributes. He's always on - and He's looking at me. I will trust Him for today - will you join me?

                                                                                                                                                                

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