I must FIND My Daughter!

“Mom, did you see me?” That is the question that both thrills and strikes fear in my heart.

In a sea of 350 band and color guard teenagers, I eagerly scan each one in an attempt to identify which one belongs to me. To a person who doesn’t know my daughter, it easily would be a hopeless and futile search. Everyone is dressed the same and there is constant movement making it impossible to identify one specific person in the herd… or is it?

I know my daughter. Her gate...her stance…the flip of her pony tail. It may take me a little bit, but I will be able to identify her in that enormous crowd of eager performers. There are times when anxiety rises; when it takes a little longer to locate her in the crowd. Fear grips my heart as I know I will have to answer the question…”Mom, did you see me?” 

Complete elation washes over me as I spot her little pony tail flip. I FOUND HER! My current episode of “Where’s Kenzie” (our twist on Where’s Waldo) has come to an end…I sought her and I found her.

My heart shifts to the Lord and my pursuit of Him. I’m reminded of Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.

In today’s society it can be difficult to find God in the sea of details of our lives. There are many distractions that can cause Him to seem lost to us and elusive. It can seem as if He is hiding in the scurry of movement and activities.

As my daughter performs on the football field there are many things that can catch my eye and distract me…but I assure you I continue to search for her with my whole heart…and I find her. I don’t let the flurry of activity distract me from my goal…finding the one who makes my heart leap.

In the same way, we are to search for the Lord: Eagerly, without distraction, and with a sense of urgency. There is a chance that I can search for my daughter during a performance and miss her. Jeremiah 29:13 promises us that any time we seek God with our whole heart…we will find Him.

It would break my heart to have to tell Kenzie that I didn’t find her on the field during her performance. It would be even more heartbreaking to say I didn’t find God.

I encourage you to seek Him…anchor your search to the promise of Jeremiah 29:13. Seek Him with your whole heart and you will find Him!

Today I am Linking up with the Five Minute Friday group on the topic of FIND.

When will I learn?

Do you remember the child’s toy where you would put the matching peg into the matching hole? Did you ever try to force that square peg into the round hole? As a child, this toy taught us the hard way that things have to match up to me successful.

I realized recently that I am still playing that game in my life. I have a round hole (a period of time) and someone offers me a square peg (an area of commitment). I will eagerly accept the peg without even thinking. Then the process of me pounding those parts into submission begins. I become consumed and neglect other things because “I MUST MAKE THIS FIT!”

The reality is that there is nothing enjoyable or pleasing about that experience. A further reality is that many times the end result is not good, and I am left exhausted and overwhelmed. (Can I get an AMEN?)

Commitments are not always this way though…there are times when the peg offered me is round and smooth. It easily fits into my round hole with little effort and it becomes something worthy to take joy in. I am left with a sense of accomplishment and I can say that I did a good job; those times are life giving and invigorating.

What can I learn from this? I can go back to basics and recognize that the spot I have available is round. When I have a peg (opportunity to commit to something) I need to pause to examine if it is a match for the slot I have available. If so, I know it has the opportunity to be a great experience. If not, it is most definitely a recipe for disaster. It can end up red faced, overwhelmed, and dripping tears because I just can’t make it fit…NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY!

The good news is that if my hole is round and a square peg needs a place to be, another sweet friend may very well have a square hole in her life that that peg is perfect for. 

Wouldn’t it be funny if my stressed out, overwhelmed sister had the round peg and I had her square one? Can you imagine how much nicer things would be if we slowed down and took time to see if it fit BEFORE trying to force it? I think I may be able to learn this lesson. 

BTW- I’ll trade you a square peg for a round one!

This post is a linkup with the Five Minute Friday group. The topic for today is LEARN