What About Me?

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. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Matthew 6:30 The Message

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I've read that verse many times and applied it to material possessions and to physical needs. As I see it here in The Message I find that I'm fed in a different way.

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Attention. What a word. It's a command! My heart screams at times for attention. Even little girls desire attention. How have I not grown up? This passage is telling me not to fuss. God knows I fuss about attention and missing out. He says it is an everyday human concern. That makes me feel a little better. My need for attention is an everyday human concern. So it is going to be there, I can't just make it go away, suppress it, ignore it, or even walk away from it. It does not mean that I am selfish, self-centered or self-absorbed. It means that the way I am created I have a deep need for attention. What I fill that with or how I doctor that need is something else. Forcing someone else to meet my attention needs is selfish and self-absorbed, blinding me to their needs and desires: Completely ignoring Jesus and devaluing His relationship with me. It painfully reveals my lack of seeking the Lord's attention, or giving Him mine.jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

I don't struggle with attention in every area of my life....but where I do, it is destructive and demanding. I struggle with attention that I feel slips away from me if I don't make an issue of it. I simply do not trust God. OUCH. Oh, I don't say that or even think it in the moments of fussing. Yet the reality of convicting truth shatters any allusion I may try to cling to.

You know God and how HE works: I do...reality, initiative, provision

j

Attend to me

Take pride in me

Do what's best for me

kk

RELAX, don't be preoccupied with getting attention - so I can RESPOND to God's GIVING

(stop the fussing, the worshiping/focus directing thoughts and actions)

Preoccupied.............(WHAT??!) God is saying I am setting out to be a fussy, demanding person. That before I am occupied I've set my heart and thoughts. I am looking for ways to be disappointed (WHAT???!) That can't be me! Am I really looking for it? Do I really take everything through THAT UGLY filter? Let me soften the blow to my heart......it is a small part of me....Ya, I can't quite swallow that either. Even a small amount is damaging and it's impact has the ability to reach further than I can control or desire.

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So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1 The Message

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Do I trust God? Is Jesus my heart and longing? Is HE the one I am seeking/worshiping/focusing to direct my thoughts and actions? Is HE? Yes and no. So the question really is, Is He enough? I sing the song lyrics...I mean them with my whole heart....but it slips away as I look else where to fill my need of attention. A crack in the armor has been found. The protective gear over my heart has slipped. Maybe I forgot to strap it on firmly? Maybe I forget my brain covering in moments.

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I LOVE YOU LORD!

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Be good to your servant, God; be as good as your Word. Train me in good common sense; I'm thoroughly committed to living your way. Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I'm in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I focus my attention on what you are saying; They're bland as a bucket of lard, while I dance to the tune of your revelation. My troubles turned out all for the best - they forced me to learn from your textbook. Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine. Psalm 119:65 The Message

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So, it's a new day. I'm going to learn from the truth spoken from my lips to the children, "Fussing will never get what you what." As God parents me saying to my heart, "I can't bless fussing my love." I will give my attention to Jesus and be ready to respond to the attention He gives me. In fact....now I am really EXCITED!

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This WILDFLOWER is ready to be Dressed by the KING JESUS!!!