Bingo Realizations

As I've shared on here before, I help facilitate Bingo at a nursing home on Saturday mornings with members of my former church. When I was collecting the cards at the end of the hour yesterday morning, one sweet old lady looked straight at me and told me that we (the volunteers) had no idea how much it meant to them (the residents) to have us come each week.  Between that and the sweet man who couldn't seem to win a round of Bingo but just really wanted to pick out a Beanie Baby aardvark prize for his grandchild, my heart is still full from yesterday morning.  

I sneakily gave him the stuffed animal after it was over. Don't tell the other residents- they like to follow the rules. ; )  

Boy, did I need Bingo yesterday.  Being there, combined with encouragement from some people I love dearly and an awesome blog post by my former roomie that halted me the other day, brought me to a realization.

I didn't do a very good job of trusting God last week.

I'm quick to blame it on any number of things-- stress, others not following through on commitments, being too hard on myself,  etc.  But when it comes down to it, I was giving in to worry and my own feelings of inadequacy, and placing WAY too much importance on my little worldly cares.  I lost perspective.

Looking around the nursing home dining room at the residents, in their 70s, 80s, 90s, I was suddenly aware of how they were once my age too.  It probably doesn't feel so long ago, to them.  This life is merely a vapor.  We are here and gone.  In five years, will the things that were stressing me out this week matter? Doubtful.  Will they in 50 years?  Certainly not. 

Wherever we are right now in life, God certainly has a purpose for it, and He equips us to use all of our experiences, including the hard ones, for His glory.  And that's what we're called to do as Christ's followers. Not to make a big deal about our never-ending to-do lists, the stresses that no one else can possibly understand, and our own self-importance.  No, we are called to make a big deal about God, pointing our lives to Him so that others will know Him also.  

There is so much "noise" in the world competing for our attention and our time, lies right and left that distract us from God and His truth.  But He knows each of us specifically and intimately.  He loves us and prevails in spite of our stubbornness, pride, and insecurities.  He is, and was, and is to come, for all of eternity- beyond our comprehension.         

In Jenna's [slightly edited] words, 

I'm thankful for the reminder that the weight of the world isn't on my shoulders, that the Kingdom coming has very little to do with my lists and emails, and that God is already in the places I'm going and the places I'm leaving.   

Amen.