Hello Readers!
Luke 1: 80 “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”
Reading the gospel according to Luke has made me feel I’ve been living in the wilderness, like John the Baptist, which is the child referenced in the above verse from the Bible.
My days have been long lately, I’m expelling so much energy, and without putting too much thought into it I decided to reward myself. My gift was a tall, ice cold Starbucks green tea Frappuccino with soy milk. I didn’t drink half of it, but it was a nice treat.
Next, came a thought to find something I wanted to try out (a secret only for myself). I left Starbucks to find the store I thought I could find the item I wanted. So I started driving, ending up at three stores and passing through three others. A funny thing happened; as I went inside certain stores I looked for what I wanted but walked out with completely different things. I just wanted one item and came out with more than I originally sought.
On the way back home, I managed to pass stores that I had never really noticed before, but for sure, I can find what I need there. Before I knew it, I had been driving close to 2 hours and visiting stores. There was also a slight downpour of rain which lasted a few minutes. In all, I found the night drive and short rain-spell delightfully calming.
When I got home, I opened my bible to Luke, the book I’m currently reading. Luke 1:80, Luke 1:80… Suddenly I thought about a 180 degree angle. Since I can’t let things rest of course I Googled “180 degree angle” and “what is a 180 angle?” A 180 degree angle is a straight line. I drove tonight in a roundabout way but I knew my direction. I did not know where I was going to end up finding what I wanted to buy myself but I knew to go. I already made up in my mind where to go; when I did not find what I was looking for, I moved on to the next store I had in mind.
Although I did not plan for it, I found other things besides the original item I so desperately sought. Those things could help me but not hurt my bank so I bought them. I found many rewards tonight. Without knowing it, I was on a straight path. Mentally, I knew what I wanted and decided to go and find it. When I couldn’t find that specific thing, I kept going to places I knew to seek. I found good things there, but opened my eyes to searching in places I am familiar with in passing but never really noticed.
I guess I am like the child in the Luke 1:80 verse who is growing up in the wilderness, developing himself through spirit. After having a mentally and physically draining day, I knew my spirit- aka mind- was in search for something. I did not lose but gained a better understanding of life, searching, and being surprised. I will search again and go directly for what I want because I noticed what it is I want, where to find it, and how to get it.
First I noticed. After seeing and understanding clearly, I will know... I do believe I just related a bible concept to shopping and making decisions on life’s path. It may not look like a straight line. You may go about in a roundabout way. However, if you keep looking for the most important thing you need and want, you can eventually find it when you try again. Because in your mind, you already decided on it; you decided the path to take in order to obtain it like a straight line.
Also, just food for thought: maybe our roundabout way of doing things doesn’t look roundabout from above if it is done with intent on your part. There is a divine design. Be blessed.