Taking Inventory

The other day I was driving in my car to work at 3:30 in the morning, everything around me was still asleep and quiet, when the tire pressure gauge in my car came on. Immediately I could feel a sense of panic rising within me, since buying my car I have had countless tire problems and every time that light has come on it has pointed to a greater problem. I found myself wondering if once again I would find myself in the car shop trying to sort out what was going on. On the bright side, the people at the tire shop all know who I am by now and it is helpful to be greeted by familiar faces. 

As I continued to drive, I began to pray quietly, letting the worship music on the radio play a little louder. And I began to think about that little light in my car, the one that caused immediate panic and anxiety. It signified that something was wrong or needed to at least be checked out. And I began to think about how in our own lives, many of us have those little lights that come on to signify that things aren’t quite right or that maybe our hearts and souls are crying out for something and we aren’t paying attention. And how often do we let those reminders go unnoticed, or even let them bring anxiety rather than facing them boldly and addressing the need within. 

Often times in life when things go wrong or we find ourselves experiencing closed doors I think we too quickly let it bring us to a place of anxiety as we focus on all the negative things. I know for me  recently I have been really struggling personally with keeping a positive attitude, letting my worries get the best of me. Making things all about me, I have found it too easy to complain about things not going the way I expected. 

How easy is it to focus on the desert underneath our feet- the ground that is a seemingly an eternal drought. Waiting for rain, we list off all of our problems or needs-growing impatient that God seems distant or hard of hearing. 

When all along, His promises remain true and He is always with us. All along he is using those little warning lights to get our attention and to return our gaze to His love and faithfulness. His sight is on the promised land yet ours is so often on the wilderness in front of us. 

 I wonder what would happen if we began to view these warning lights as  a reason to take inventory of where our hearts are at. To take inventory of what blessings we have in our life and the promises that have already been fulfilled.  Viewing them as a reason to pause and find ways to refresh instead of powering through and ignoring the signs of being depleted or in need of rest. 

Time after time in the Bible we see stories of Gods faithfulness to keep His promises. Abraham finally having a son. Every rainbow a reminder that rain will never flood the earth again. Mary the virgin giving birth to our savior. The Israelites faithfully being led to the promised land. And that is just a few of the examples that I can think of off the top of my head. 

And when I look back on my life  I can see so many promises answered. 

So I find myself going back through my life to jot down reminders of the good to come. Taking inventory of where I have seen love and hope win.  

Especially in these times it is important to pay attention to what your heart is needing and to look for the hope amidst the chaos.  For me, that looks like taking inventory of the good every day. Making lists of things I am grateful for and sharing them with Ricky. It looks like going on runs when it is nice out because I know I’ll feel Better with some sunshine and fresh air. It looks like writing letters to people and like reading books so I can continue with my goal to read at least 25 books this year.  What does it look like for you? 

Look for the gold around you today, and reach out to those in need. Let hope arise within.