Life Unscripted

To the common person, we know this as an IV.  It’s not something we really look forward to, but given properly, it’s something that can really turn a situation around. 

As a RN in the Emergency Room, my husband comes in contact with all kinds of people in various situations.  Some are being wheeled in unconscious on a stretcher by EMS desperate for their current circumstance to change.  Others come in because they don’t have insurance and need treatment for something less life threatening.  Then you have the ones that are just trying to convince some medical professional that they need the big drugs so they can get their fix and move on. The frequent flyers. 

It hit me last night while Gary was preaching.  Thanks to my self diagnosed ADD, my mind tends to wander frequently for no apparent reason.  This time it wandered to an extraordinary concept.  If Gary is given an order from one of the doctors to give medication or fluids intravenously (through an IV), it has to penetrate the skin in order to be effective.   If your life is hanging in the balance and your nurse just brings in your medication and leaves it on the metal rack but never administers the drugs, well… you’re screwed.  It is absolutely worthless outside of the body.  It has to go in before any change occurs. 

It’s much like the hope we have in God and His Word.  There is life altering, life changing power found in the Word of God.  But if we fail to get in the Word and allow it to penetrate our hard exterior, it will never make its way inside.  So many times, we wait until our life gets so messed up before we decide to give God a try.  We treat Him as those little nitro pills that people with heart problems take when they feel a heart attack coming on.  Our heart starts pounding and we don’t see any other way out and we use Him as our get out of jail free card (You’ve played Monopoly, right?). 

God knew there was something pretty incredible about giving us His Word.  But just like meds on a shelf, without picking it up and taking it in, it’s just another book.  It won’t jump out of the drawer and slap you in the face with conviction.  You either have to make the conscious decision to jump out of the boat with the life preserver on and secured or jump out and cross your fingers with nothing.  The choice is yours.  God won’t make you accept His gift.  In case you haven’t noticed, He’s quite the gentleman. 

The past 5 days have been so stressful.  I don’t know how people with 4 and 5 kids survive on a daily basis.  They must not get frustrated easy or require much sleep.  Or maybe they’re hyped up on coffee, I don’t know.  LOL.  But I know me.  And I know that when I’m exhausted AND my kids are moody — oh man, you just don’t want to be anywhere near us.  Anywhere.  Near.  Us.  We get loud and shed a lot of tears. 

One thing I’ve noticed the past few days is that I have hardly opened my Bible.  Just being honest.  I crawled out of bed completely drained and went to bed feeling the same way. But the funny thing is, every time I decide that I’m going to start getting up early so I can have some quiet time alone with God in the morning, my kids never sleep in.  They’ll wake up during the night and end up in our bed and nobody sleeps.  I can’t help someone else when my personal tank is hovering on E all the time.  The devil knows that and I honestly believe he sends things our way to hinder us from being all that we can be in Christ. 

If you didn’t know, I’m a first born.  I have some type A tendencies.  One thing is for sure, I’m really, really stubborn.  If I set my mind to something, it’s extremely difficult to change it.  I’ve set my mind on something.  I don’t care what it takes; I’m determined to make time to soak in God’s presence every day.  Each day may look different, but that’s ok.  Sometimes it may be reading first thing in the morning.  When that doesn’t happen, I’ll pop a movie in and let the kids have some chill time and this mama will make a break to the bedroom and lock the door if I have to. 

Why?  Because I know that I am NOTHING without Him.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13), but without Him I can do nothing.    I know that if I don’t make time for His Word to permeate my soul and become like a daily multivitamin for my heart, I’m not going to have what it takes to make it through the day.  I can’t be the Proverbs 31 woman, but instead I’ll be dried up and bitter.  What good is that to anyone?  I don’t want to be the nagging woman Proverbs 21:9 talks about.  “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”  But unfortunately, that’s the woman I feel like I’ve resembled this past week.  And.  I.  Hate.  It. 

Sometimes it takes something Hulk-like for us to realize there’s a problem.  By the time it’s gotten that bad, it’s not good news for anyone.  But it’s never too late.  You are never too far gone for God’s hand to reach you.  Romans 8:39 gives us hope!  “Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Let God’s Word get inside of you.  It may be painful at first, like when the needle has to penetrate the skin so the medicine can flow, but the healing will come.  Living waters will flow from within you.  (John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”)  From the top of your head to the toes on your feet, His grace will flow through you and change you – if you let Him in.  He won’t beat the door down.  What’s it going to be?  Will you unlock the door for Him, or will you tighten the dead bolt? 

Living Life Unscripted,

❤ Brittany