Nearly Missing It – Dr. Hona Amer

Scripture:

“No doubt about it! God is good— good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world…Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . . Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you’ve put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions. In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare! We wake up and rub our eyes….Nothing. There’s nothing to them. And there never was.” Psalm 73:1-5, 16-20 (MSG)

Perspective:

When you are in a big city and stand at the bottom of tall buildings, you can look up and up and still never see the top. But, while you are looking up, it is easy to be bumped by people who care nothing about your tourist experience. Yet, while you are looking up and gazing into the sky, life is happening all around you.

The New Year always brings in resolutions to better ourselves. We look to the best of the best, no matter their morals, integrity, or convictions and determine to follow. We want what they have: wealth, fame, influence, health. We can get so caught up in looking one way or doing something that we can nearly miss seeing God’s goodness. We miss the miracle that we are breathing, we woke up this morning, and the world is still revolving around the sun. We miss seeing our family, cars, homes, and jobs as a blessing from God. Should we strive to better ourselves? Of course. We need to always be growing, developing, and changing. Yet, many times we find that contentment and ambition are at odds. When we view our lives through God’s lens, we can show gratitude for our blessings, while striving to make much of what he has entrusted to us. With that, contentment and ambition can really compliment one another. When we are content with our blessings today, money, fortune, and fame do not become our striving goal. Rather, our goals reflect a sincere desire to help people, reach people with the love of Jesus, and be a wise steward with what God has given us. When contentment and ambition are not at odds, you are free to dream bigger dreams than ever before. So, instead of looking at what other people have and what we don’t, let’s not miss seeing God’s goodness and make much of what He has given us this year!