When It's Necessary to Break the Rules

 A few years ago I was playing a game with my ultra-rule follower middle kid. In hindsight, I think God was trying to tell me these things for a while and I finally got it through watching my own kid. As I said, the younger and I were playing a game together. At the time, he didn't fully grasp the concept of the games rules or turns, but we were working on it. What he did get, was that some one does need to explain the game, and that should be him. However, the rules didn't need to be the same or the game limited to one way of winning. That, my friends, was hard for me to grasp. At that point in my life, when I only had two and they were toddlers instead of teenagers, I very much needed the world, my religion, my church and my family to have one way of doing things. A firm foundation is what I called it, in reality it was about me wanting to control everything. 

Throughout the Word of God we see countless examples of plans being interrupted. Well meant human solutions being upended by the divine Master showing a new way. The book of Isaiah is just one of the places where we get to see how vast and different the Lord sees us on Earth. In both the Old and New Testament, God is continuously surprise those that think they have things figured out. Sarah, wife of Abraham thinks she needs to help God build a nation, Saul thinks he knows better than a priest how to offer sacrifice, David believes he has the right to build a temple for God. The entire nation of Israel decides it's ok to just go thru the motions and ignore what God told them to do. The New Testament shows us how the rule followers and "church folk" got it all wrong. It wasn't about adding burdens to the oppressed people, religion should be about helping the poor, easing each others burdens and giving light to a dark world.  

I still love rules and structure. I feel a framework and guidelines are the best way for my creativity to flow and make sense to a wider audience. But since those early days of parenting, God has been working on me. When I get so hung up on the way I think things should be that I miss the opportunity to hear His message to me. 

He showed me during that time with my younger son, that He will not be confined to one outcome. Yes, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is also a creative. The Holy Spirit is a pursuer. A lover wooing us back into the arms of our gracious and loving God. God reveals Himself to each of us in different ways. When I open my imagination up, God will show me something really great. Then I can see others with His eyes. When I lay down the scales on my own eyes for the lenses of Christ, I can see how uniquely and beautifully God has made each of us. Also, how individually He pursues each of us. 

I encourage you to open your mind up. Pray that God would give you His eyes, so you hear or see what He has in store for you and those in your circle.