So, in my effort to get back in shape and take care of this temple that the Lord has given me, I started walking. Basically, every day for the last month or more I have gotten on my tennis shoes and walked the sidewalks of our town. Most days I have made my trek with my little girl in tow. She now loves to go for a buggy ride. That's what she calls mama sweating and struggling to push her in the stroller around town. It never fails, every day she's going to ask me to go on a buggy ride. There are two things that she wants to see:
1. Lots of cars and trucks.
2. Mommy and Baby Dragon.
After the first week or so it was the trucks that motivated her to ask for the buggy ride. She loved to see the cars and trucks on Main Street as we took our familiar route. One afternoon driving around different neighborhoods, we found a really cool historical house. Upon the suggestion of my dear husband, I decided to walk past it during our buggy ride one day. It was a really cool house and I wanted to see it up close and personal and not just quickly driving by. I extended our route the next day to include the old purple and blue house.
The walk was wonderful, plenty of shade trees along the sidewalk made the heat that has started to grow more bearable. I was taking in all the different houses on this street that I had never seen before. It's funny to me how you can live somewhere most of your life and miss so much. That's probably another blog for another day. So, I was walking, pushing the buggy, and taking in all the lovely houses when I hear my daughter's small voice full of excitement.
"Ooo, BIG Dragon! Mommy Dragon."
"What was that sweetheart?"
"BIG Dragon!" This time pointing to the yard of the historic purple and blue house. There sitting in the yard was a statue of a dragon. It's probably about 3 to 4 feet tall if you include the wings. And she was so excited to see it. Then as we strolled a little further,
"Baby dragon." This time in a very small high pitched voice. Her voice tends to match the size of things right now.
Lo and behold, there was a small gargoyle with wings that looks like a baby dragon sitting on a rock. I thought oh that's cool, but didn't think much else about it. However, the next morning my daughter certainly thought about it. She got downstairs to where her buggy lives and said,
"Buggy ride? See Dragons?"
Now, for the last 3 weeks, we have been taking a buggy ride to see the dragons. It ends up being almost 2 miles every day so that she can see them.
The point of telling you about the dragons is this, you never know what God will send to carry you through and motivate you to do what He is telling you to do.
I know that I need to get healthy. I know that I need to exercise and keep this body working properly. However, I also know that I really don't want to get up and go for a 2 mile walk every day. But, God... (Don't you just love that phrase?) God knows that I don't want to tell my daughter no when she asks to see the dragons and trucks. How could I? It's good for both of us to get out there in the sunshine and see the world around us. I would have never guessed that God would use statues of dragons to motivate me to exercise. Honestly, for a while, I thought it might take real dragons chasing me to get me moving. But, God can use anything.
God can and does use the most simple things that make the biggest differences. I believe that God likes to use the unexpected because then we begin to see His power everywhere we look. I'm reminded of the story in John 6 where Jesus uses a little boys lunch to feed 5,000 people. Or what about the old man and the barren woman God uses to give birth to the nation of Israel? Don't forget the rock in the wilderness that brings water to the wandering people. He speaks to Moses through a shrub. He uses a virgin girl to bring the Messiah. A donkey carries Jesus in as a king on Palm Sunday. And, then God uses a wretched ugly cross to bring us our salvation and eternal life through the sacrifice of his son.
It's so easy to sit back and say,
"God can't use me I'm only...a teacher, a banker, a nurse, a hair stylist, a factory worker, a stay-at-home mom"
But, God looks at all of this and says that we are called according to His purpose. If he can use rocks and donkeys He can surely use you and me.
If you look at 1 Samuel 16 and 17 you see that God uses a young man who can play the harp. King Saul is tormented by an evil spirit sent from the Lord. His servants want some kind of relief for him. That causes them to suggest that the King send out people in search of someone to play the harp when the evil spirit comes so that he might feel better. Well, then someone says, "I know this kid." (that's a paraphrase)
They send for this young man. He comes and is introduced to King Saul, he plays the harp, one thing leads to another and David goes from playing the harp to sitting on the throne. Now obviously I left out quite a bit there in the middle. But, the point remains that God can use anyone and anything that He sees fit to use to motivate us to the call He has put on our lives. Those servants didn't know they were suggesting the next king, they just wanted to help their current king find some peace.
God uses it all. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. That means he can use you, and me, and dragon statues.
What is God using in your life that maybe you didn't expect? How is God working all of this out for your good to accomplish His purpose? If you're not sure, sit down and ask Him to show you where He's working. Ask Him to open your eyes to see the little unexpected places where He's at work. Then ask Him to use you too. It'll change everything.
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