My Parking Spot?

For years I parked in the same spot at work, on the same side of the building, every workday. (It's nice to know that in your regular morning routine, you can just pull in and park and head on in to work). One day, after following my regular routine, I pulled in and someone else was in MY parking spot. Ok, so my name wasn't on it or anything like that, but if you park in the same spot EVERY day, you start to feel like it's yours. Isn't it funny how we feel that way? No one assigned it to us...we just assumed everyone would know that's our spot. So, I found another "spot" and hurried on in to work.

The next day, you guessed it, the spot was taken. And the next day. And the next day.... (So...if someone takes my spot, does that make me "spot-less?" No, no, no, that's another story).

When something happens to "mess with" my comfort zone, I take notice. It usually means God is trying to tell me something. Parking in the same spot for years was a comfort zone, of sorts, to me, and God knew it. When I am in my comfort zone, I tend to like to stay there. It's familiar, it's secure, it's comforting. I also tend to not want to leave my comfort zone. The "unknown" can be scary or intimidating or any of the other reasons I can come up with so I don't have to leave.

When I came to work last week, and the spot was taken, God reminded me of a song that has become important to me. It's called Oceans (Where Feet May Fail), and it's done by Hillsong United. The first time I heard that song, it spoke to me. The message in the song is all about trusting in God when the "waves" in our lives are scary or hard. He is helping me to "keep my eyes above the waves."

He was reminding me of this song, not because not having "my" parking spot was scary, but because of the other words in the song.  "Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you may call me." I've really been focusing on those words in the song, lately. I want to go wherever He leads me and to do whatever He has called me to do.

And then it hit me. What He was trying to tell me.

How can He lead me to where my "trust is without borders" if I can't even let go of a parking spot? How can I walk upon the "waters" He leads me to, if I am content to follow my same routine and stay in my same comfort zone.

Wow. I didn't see that one coming. Talk about a message in a moment.

The message was clear. Even more than I realized. You see, if I'm "parked," I'm not moving. Let me say it again. If I'm parked, I'm not moving. I hear you, Lord.

From now on, wherever I park, will be "a" parking spot, not "my" parking spot. It's only temporary. I want to be ready to "pull out" and move on to "wherever He may call me."

All That AND a Bag of Chips

I'll never forget being with a group of students and hearing the phrase, "she thinks she's all that AND a bag of chips!" I just had to laugh. What a perfect way to describe someone so focused on themselves that they felt they were not just the complete package, but they were something extra! Now that is prideful!

Pride, however, is no laughing matter. There are many verses in the Bible about pride. In Proverbs 16:18, the verse reads, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. In Proverbs 11:2, the verse reads, When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

You see, when we focus too much on ourselves or on our accomplishments, we are not focused on the One who created us with the gifts and talents we have. It is sort of like focusing more on the gift, than on the Giver. There would be no gift without the Giver.

Not all pride is bad, though.  For example, how many parents are proud of their children when they take their first steps across the floor, and then, later, when they walk across a graduation stage? Or how many teachers are proud of their students at the end of a school year for all of their hard work? And let's not forget about how proud someone can be of themselves when they try to do something that they were afraid to do and, then, they accomplish it.

If we put a lot of time and effort into achieving something, it is alright to be proud of that effort. The danger comes when we become full of pride about our efforts or our accomplishments. When we put too much focus on what WE'VE done, it crosses over from being proud to being prideful. This takes the focus away from what HE'S done in us and for us.

The next time you start to feel your focus slipping, just remember the Giver.

Without Him, we are nothing. We are an incomplete package. With Him, we can be "all that" He created us to be...and more!

(Way better than a bag of chips, don't you think?)