Looky Here!

When I was a kid, old people would say when I came to visit, “Well, looky here? Who’s this showing up on my doorstep?” Now, people don’t visit homes anymore. They text. They post on Facebook. They tweet. We seemed to have lost the human connection. But believe me, Papa is not into technology as a means of intimate relationships. He is a personal, loving, grab you around the neck and hug you kind of God who “loves you to pieces” like my Mama used to say. He knows you inside and out and still loves you anyway. What a God! 

He also knows what we like and enjoy. After all, He created us. He knows what makes us tick and what cleans our clock. He thinks about us all the time.

Psalm 139:17-18 NLT— How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!

He knows my every thought. My every need. My every hurt. My every joy. He knows ME. The star breather God who spoke the word and the universe came to order. This Almighty God knows ME and loves ME and cares for ME. He thinks about me all day long. More times than the grains of sand on the beach. Wow!! No wonder David’s mind was boggled over the thought of his God even noticing him much less loving and caring for him.

Psalm 8:3-4 NLT— When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place— what are people that you should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them? 

Even though God thinks about us all the time, our thoughts wander. We think about things that worry us, stress us, and depress us. The world, the flesh, and the devil work overtime to divert our thoughts away from God, the Source of our life, joy, peace, and love. God knows the battle going on in our thought life. So, He is constantly sending us reminders that He is always thinking about us. I call them “love gifts.”

People we love, we study. We want to know what makes them happy. What makes them sad. What gives them joy. We give them gifts we know they would like, not what we would like. For example, I love popcorn, books, and golf balls. I don’t give those things to my Bride, Wanda, because she is not into any of those. She loves gardening, jewelry, and accessories for her home. Don’t give me a lamp and don’t give Wanda a range finder. Know what I mean?

Our Papa knows what we like. He knows I love birds, butterflies, sunsets, and colorful flowers. When I see these things, my thoughts turn back to Him reminding me that He is always thinking about me. 

Just this morning, He had a couple of gifts for me. On my chosen route to the office, the road comes to a “T” at which I turn right. On the left side of the road is a patch of the most gorgeous blue-flowered weeds your ever saw. He is so kind that He gives us some of the most beautiful hues and colors on top of weeds.  I can’t miss them because He put them where I have to look over them to watch for traffic. It’s like He is telling us:

“I know you live in a fallen world. I didn’t want that for you, but it is what it is. One day, I’m going to make the world brand new and better than ever before, but in the meantime, I’m going to make the weeds that came with the fall as enjoyable for you as possible. I send them special delivery just for you to let you know that I never forget about you. Don’t allow the distractions of this world keep you from enjoying My gifts for you. Keep your eyes open. My gifts come in the most unexpected packages.”

He had another gift for me at WalMart. As I came out of the parking lot, He sent me an “angel bird.” I call them “angel birds” because they remind that He will always provide for me. This one stopped right in front of me. I had to stop the car to keep from running over him. The Lord would not let him fly away until I took notice of him. The Lord wanted me to turn my thoughts back to Him. 

These are the tiniest birds. And God cares for them, too.

Matthew 6:26-31 MSG— “Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to Him than birds.”

“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 All this time and money wasted on fashion — do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.”

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers — most of which are never even seen — don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.”

His love gifts abound all around us every minute of the day. How many do we miss because we are just not looking for them? 

Open your eyes today. You just might find yourself saying, “Looky here,” all day long!

Blessings,

Kenny