Yesterday I was speaking to a really amazing guy. We were sitting in my office (AKA Joey’s Coffee Shop) talking about faith, church planting, and even politics. At one point he said that he has never seen God. He knows He exists, but He wants to know how God speaks to me. If you have been reading this site for very long, you know that one of the ways God speaks to me is through my children. And, yes, this morning He did it again.
One of my morning routines is that I get Gracen in the bathroom, and we brush our teeth at the same time. I always tell him, “Just do what daddy does, okay?” He smiles, but I really think he is saying, “I know daddy, we do this everyday.” We brush, rinse our mouths, wash our face and hands, dry them, and then move on with our day. This morning started the same, except while I was brushing my teeth, the toothpaste began to run down my toothbrush making the handle slippery, not allowing me to get the full scrub I was looking for. So, what did I do? I turned my toothbrush upside down to clean it off. Makes sense right? Well, Gracen not missing a beat, looked at me with this look that says, “What the heck are you doing dad? Your toothbrush is upside down? That’s not how it is supposed to be done. We never do it that way! That’s crazy!” But in the next moment he quickly flipped his toothbrush upside down and just like me began to rinse it off. His look never changed. It made no sense to him, but every morning, he did what he was told, “Just do what daddy does, okay?”
Then again, I could hear God telling me not to miss this moment. Gracen had been practicing obedience every morning. Doing what daddy did was the normal thing for him. It didn’t matter what, he just followed his dad. So this morning, when things were very different for him, he didn’t miss a beat. He followed me. It didn’t make sense, it was different than what he was accustomed to, but in the end he had learned that following his dad was the normal thing to do.
Obedience is not easy for anyone. Following God sometimes makes no sense. Fully living out the teachings of Jesus will make no sense to our culture. Forgive people endlessly? Come on. Love people with no regard? That’s silly. Give money to the church? Outdated. Here’s what I have learned in my life about God. He has never given me a huge assignment, until I have proven that I can be obedient in the small ones. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes I look at God and say, “really? What the heck are you thinking? That’s not how it’s supposed to be done. That’s crazy!” But in the end, I do it…and everytime it turns out to be the best thing for me.
So now it’s on you. Are you following God daily, just on Sundays, or when it’s convenient? There is something in your heart that God is telling you to do, it makes no sense, you’ve never done it that way, it’s crazy! Let me let you in on a secret…God knows that!! Are you willing to pull the trigger on that major decision? Can you trust that He knows what He is doing?
…can you turn your toothbrush upside down?
Grace.
Ben
What a great experience you were priviledged to have with such a simple instrument. I hope You continue to experience the treasure of His wealth that He is pouring into your life.
Thanks for sharing.
You have been blessed with a beautiful gift: to see and understand what the Lord is showing you in what “seems” to be ordinary moments. I call these my “ah ha” moments when the Lord is revealing something to me.
Write them down because you will use them to preach/teach others what you have learned. These are illustrations to help others understand biblical principles that some may not understand in another way.
What an insightful moment.