Tag: Jeremiah 33:3

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Focus Friday: Let’s Focus on Rufous-Sided Towhees

There was a bird hopping around in our garden a while back. I had no idea what it was. I combed through my bird book and tried to match up its features with the pictures I saw. I thought I was close a couple of times, but I couldn’t figure it out. I saw it often for about two weeks and not knowing was really bugging me.

Finally, I messaged a picture to my mom and texted her to ask my dad if he knew what it was. Seconds later, the reply came back: Rufous-sided towhee.

I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know there was such a bird!

Here’s a close-up from Google images (S.D. Stanton, 2009). Isn’t it beautiful?

After I asked my dad and got my answer, I wondered why I hadn’t done that a couple of weeks ago when I first saw it. Growing up, my dad was always getting out the bird book and using binoculars to identify the feathered friends who visited our bird feeder. Of course he would know what bird that was without even having to look it up.

He knew the answer. I just had to ask.

I often do the same thing with my heavenly Father. I stumble along in life, searching desperately for answers to my problems, looking in all the wrong places.

I forget that I have a Father who created the whole world (even the rufous-sided towhee!). He has a plan for each of his created beings (that’s you and me). As we take each step in faith, God will make that plan clear to us. We may not always understand where His plan is taking us, but we can trust Him to lead us exactly where we need to go.

I forget that He loves each of us unconditionally. He loves me, with all of my mistakes, flaws, and insecurities. He loves me, with all of my successes, talents, and accomplishments. He loves others, whether they believe in Him or not. We may not always understand each other’s beliefs and opinions, but God can show us how to love each other, too.

I forget that God cares about each detail of my life. He cares about my health, work, leisure, family, friends, and all the rest. When I get stuck with problems in one of those areas, He knows about it and He wants to help.

God knows all of the answers. I just have to ask.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV)

Have you ever seen a rufous-sided towhee? Who do you go to when you have questions or problems? How can focusing on God help you to ask Him for answers first (instead of last)?

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Super Saturday: Let’s Focus on Recognizing the Caller

The other day I was out working in my garden when I got a phone call.

“I didn’t think I wanted to talk to anyone from Iowa, but it turns out I did!” she said.

I laughed and told her that happens a lot.

That’s why I leave messages when I call people here in South Dakota. I know they might not pick up when they see an Iowa number on their phone, but most of them will listen to my message and call me back after they realize I’m not a telemarketer. I suppose I should probably switch to a local number, but for now I’m sticking with my old one.

With the recent explosion of robocalls, it’s understandable that most people don’t answer a call from a number they don’t recognize.

I usually do answer with a suspicious “Hello?”, ready to hang up on “Sarah” or “Rachel” or any other recorded voice selling who knows what.

But every once in a while I’m surprised when the call is from someone I know. I just didn’t have them in my phone as a contact, so I didn’t recognize them.

All of this phone stuff got me thinking about how sometimes we don’t recognize God when He calls us.

We hear a verse, or a sermon, or a song, and God is trying talk to us, but it’s not familiar to us so we ignore it.

Something happens to us, and God is trying speak to us, but it’s painful or difficult so we figure there’s no way it could be God.

A thought runs through our mind about something we need to change in our lives, and the Holy Spirit is trying to gently correct us, but we don’t really want to change so we shake it off and continue living the exact same way.

We don’t recognize the caller, so we don’t answer.

But God has left a message, dear friends. His message is in the Bible, it’s in the words of trusted friends, and it’s in the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

You may not recognize the caller at first, but if you listen to the message, you’ll hear his loving voice and you’ll realize you really do want to talk to him .

He definitely wants to talk to you! Make sure you answer next time he calls.

“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:2-4 NIV)

Do you recognize God’s voice when He calls? How can focusing on God help you to recognize Him in more and more areas of your life? Will you answer next time He calls?

*By the way, did you know that God has a phone number? He does! It’s Jeremiah 33:3…

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV)