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Are we like a frog in hot water

I have a story to share and a point to make. Stick with me.

After 3 months of undergoing a full bathroom renovation, I anxiously anticipated my first bath in the new tub. The tub is much smaller than our previous so it filled quickly. I stepped in and instantly hopped right back out. It was scalding hot! The water didn’t feel terribly hot from the spout. As it filled, the water temperature seemed not a big deal. But enough of that in the tub created an environment I wanted no part of. I realized I’d have a learning curve with our new settings.

By the time I took my second bath, I’d learned my lesson. I adjusted the temperature handle much lower. I stepped in. The water was much cooler than I prefer, but I could sit in it comfortably. Sitting in the cool water, I adjusted the temperature as it filled to much hotter. Because I was comfortable and had accepted how it felt, I could tolerate it. I stayed in while the too hot water was added. As the temperatures mixed, the water warmed rapidly. But I was already comfortable in that water so felt no need to hop out as I did when stepping directly into that too hot water only one short bath ago.

As I soaked, I envisioned the frog analogy we all know quite well. If you want to cook a frog you don’t put him directly into boiling water because he will sense the danger and jump right out. Instead put him in a somewhat comfortable environment. Make him think he’s safe. Then slowly increase the temperature on him. Before he has time to realize he’s in danger, he’s cooked. You trick the frog.

My nature is the opposite of a bandwagon jumper. When I see the masses go toward something, my inclination is to pause and assess. At the same time, I’m not rebellious. I’m very much a rule-follower. Over the years I’ve realized God has given me a strong sense of discernment. It almost feels like an internal alarm that begins to sound. When it sounds, I have learned to pay attention.

I’ve also realized that some people lie. Some people have evil motives and agendas. People are human, so they can make severe mistakes even with no poor intentions.

But what I’ve really learned in the last several years is that spiritual warfare is more real than you can imagine. And if our eyes were opened for 5 seconds to what happens in the realm we can’t see, we’d be shocked silent. Or shocked to the point of being unable to remain silent.

That’s kind of where I am these days. My discernment alarm has been sounding for awhile. God began to wake me up to a few things in 2015, but I got comfortable again and stopped really praying or caring quite honestly about what felt so pressing in 2015/2016.

Do you believe in good versus evil? If so then you will understand what I’m sharing here.

In the commentary of my CBS bible study workbook there is an apply what you’ve learned section which reads:
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” (Edmund Burke). Evil (and satan) must be actively resisted, or it will take over any earthly territory that is not claimed by Christ and His followers. This is true not only in the world around us, but within our own lives. If we do not submit ourselves to God (James 4:7), the devil will not flee-he will hang around harassing and enticing us. We should not allow ourselves to be complacent regarding evil, “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs: (2 Cor 2:11).”

Satan has schemes and plans. And part of that is to steal freedom, to make us slaves through this physical realm, but ultimately slaves to his desires.

Christ came that we should be free. God has never shown that freedom should not be a goal. He led His people out of slavery into the promised land. Christ came to set us free from death. Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not be burdened by a yolk of slavery again.”

Until Jesus returns for a 2nd time, which He will, we are called to advance His Kingdom here on earth. To advance His Kingdom, we must push back the darkness. We must resist the enemy. We simply can’t stand still and do nothing.

A call has gone out over the entire world. Repent. Turn back to God.
He is truly our only hope. No doctor, no vaccine, no medicine, no government, no man. In Christ alone. In Christ alone.

In our current situation, our nation is once again divided. Matthew 12:25 tells us “Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”

We are in information overload right now. We each bring to the discussion various perspectives and sets of knowledge and experience. We each carry different burdens to bear. My prayer is that we see our national and world situation with a common goal – the absolute best for humanity.

The burden I seem to bear these days is a call out to awaken our nation to stand for our freedoms, our civil liberties, which people fought and died for. Jesus died for my eternal freedom. Americans have died for our national freedoms.

What I see happening is us sitting in lukewarm bathwater, comfortable enough, accepting a new normal, while the temperature is increasing as freedoms are removed one tiny chip at a time.

Remember this famous quote by Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death”? Why do you think he said that? Maybe because life without freedom isn’t life at all?

Right now fear is leading many of us. We are isolated, which is a common tool the enemy uses. When I started homeschooling, I felt isolated and entered into a depression that lasted several weeks. Satan tormented me. A close friend told me to get out and reconnect with people so satan wouldn’t be so influential in my thoughts.

We are at war, and we must realize it. We’ve always been at war. Satan never stopped fighting for what he wants. He comes to steal, kill, destroy. Why do you think God tells us this in the Bible? Why do you think we are told in Ephesians 6 to put on the armor of God?

I can’t sit back and watch satan advance. Jesus may come today or in 1,000 years. For each breath I have, I want to advance the Kingdom. To advance, someone must retreat or be pushed back.

Repent. Pray. Stand firm. Suit up in your armor. Move forward. Don’t retreat. Advance.

Ask God what your assignment is. He will tell you. We won’t all have the same assignment. Together, united for His Kingdom, freedom wins.

Do You Worry or Ask God?

 

 

Periodically, I take a break from social media. My soul knows well when a fast is in need. My mind becomes more scattered. My heart races. I find myself reaching for the phone every few minutes. When there is a lull for even 20 seconds, I fill it by scrolling.

My thoughts change. Seeing so much of the lives of others creates in my heart dangerous ground if I’m not careful in my navigation. I become wearied of the opinions of people. Cynicism creeps in. Pride grows, love decreases.

I love the online world, but in order to walk it well, I find it necessary to remove myself at times to allow for a reset. I never plan for these breaks. It usually is a snap decision in a moment.

The timing of my recent break couldn’t have been better. Days after I began my social media fast, our family left for our first ever road trip. 2300 hundred miles round trip in a rented RV. We traveled from Omaha to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. From there we headed to Custer State Park in South Dakota on to Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Without a doubt, this trip was the best trip of our lives. It wasn’t restful. We stayed on the go with three active boys. But the memories will last the rest of my life.

Since returning I’ve pondered what made that trip so amazing. Experiencing the wonder of God’s creation? Seeing God in science and history? The ages of our kids perhaps? The timing with our recent move away from friends and family leading us to draw closer and tighter as a family? A little of it all?

I think each of us has a different list of reasons this trip ranks number 1. But what stands out to me most is the great adventure we took together. We journeyed far from our comfort zones, which meant we had to rely on God.

That might sound silly since I am talking about a vacation. But stay with me.

When we moved to Nebraska, we realized that annual beach vacations were to be no more. For the last 17 years, we’ve been to the beach at least once a year, sometimes more. My entire life I’ve taken for granted living near the coast. Living in the middle of America requires a different kind of vacation.

We’ve longed for the days our boys were old enough to take adventurous vacations. Skiing out west, exploring national parks, extended road trips.

This was the year. Our boys are 13, 12, and 8. The ages couldn’t have been more ripe.

I see the spiritual in all of my life. I believe all of life is spiritual. We live in the physical and forget the physical is a manifestation of the spiritual. When I began planning this trip, the anxiety began. It was a big trip. To go as far as we planned to go, to spend as much money as would be spent, I began to feel the pressure to get it all right. To make it perfect in every way.

Living for perfection opens the door to an anxious mind. I began to stress over every possible angle of this trip. What if the RV broke down? What if we got lost in the middle of nowhere. What if we slid off a cliff? What if we were attacked by a bear? What if we didn’t know how to operate the RV and ran the wrong gas source and never woke up? What if. What if. What if.

I began to dread the trip because the entire thing was full of unknowns to me. We’ve never camped more than a night or two. Now we would camp for 8 days straight.

My social media fast came at the right time for two reasons. I was fully present with my family. And my mind was free from clutter and distraction giving me space to hear, see, and feel God.

I’m a planner and rarely deviate from a plan once it is set. Day 3 plan was to leave Custer, SD and stay overnight in Thermopolis, WY before heading to Yellowstone. For some reason, days before our trip I began to question if that was a waste of a night. Should we have tried to squeeze in Grand Teton? I discarded the thought because it was too late to come up with a new plan. To plot a new route, plan new activities was too much given all it took to get out of town for a week.

However, Day 3 of the trip arrived. We sat around the campfire, and I announced to my family that I had a rather crazy, wild idea. “What if we take a different route into Yellowstone through Grand Teton?” Secretly, I hoped they would tell me I was crazy and I could leave it alone. But instead, they all said they were open to anything.

One thing we are not is spontaneous. We are planners. And planners dangerously rely on themselves more than God at times. I had this trip carefully planned. I needed God for protection, but I didn’t need Him to provide because I had planned it all out.

Suddenly, I found myself in a situation where I had spotty internet, which meant I couldn’t research and plan. It was almost time for bed and no time to plan.

The family decided Grand Teton was the new route. I called the campgrounds and every RV site was filled. The lady suggested we try to get there early for a first come first served dry site. But those fill by noon typically and we wouldn’t arrive until much later. My family was at total peace with no plan in sight. I was not.

I woke in the middle of the night in complete panic. What had I done? Why did I open my mouth? What if we drove 8 hours and had nowhere to park and sleep safely? Why is everyone else sleeping peacefully and I’m the only one awake worrying about how we will pull this off? Maybe when they wake up I suggest we scratch my ridiculous idea and stick to the plan, which is safe and comfortable.

Then God spoke. “Stop worrying and ask me.”

In that instant my heartbeat slowed. I took a deep breath. I realized I wasn’t debating a moral issue in my head. This wasn’t a situation of deciding if it was God’s will or not. This is a route on a vacation. I’m limiting God by acting like there is only one good choice and it all hinges on me to choose the right path.

This is God’s creation we want to explore. We want to see His glory. We want to experience Him. Satan wants me to agonize, fret, wring my hands and choose comfort and safety. Because in comfort and safety I will miss seeing God magnified when He breaks through.

So that moment, I took another breath and simply prayed, “God, we want to see your creation in Jackson, WY. Would you please save us one RV electric hook up site?” I fell asleep.

The next morning we awoke before dawn, unhooked, and hit the road with no reserved site. My cell service was unreliable and internet access would come and go for brief moments. I hopped online as soon as I had a signal, found the park’s info and read that campsite reservations typically fill by January for the summer season. Of course, I’d already called and been told nothing was available. But I prayed and trusted God would provide what we needed.

My internet went out again. I kept praying. Internet came back on so I hopped back on, went to the online reservations, and again saw the only thing available were tent cabins. As I stared at the screen, right before my very eyes, the screen popped up a new reservation opening. One RV hookup site. I frantically typed in all my info, received the confirmation, and within seconds lost access to the internet for almost the entire remainder of the trip.

He had saved us one RV site like we’d asked.

We arrived to Grand Teton NP after hours and found our name on the corkboard. Reserved for Renee Robinson. And I smiled. Thanked God who is intimate, personal, and adventurous. He is amazing and fun, and why for the love of all things do I forget to have fun with Him? Why don’t I allow Him into every aspect of my day and life?

I felt His Presence as dusk cast its glow on the campground corkboard.

You know what my very favorite day was out of 8 days across 2300 hundred miles? It was that day. That day which was not planned by me. The day that we gave to God to guide and provide. The day we surrendered to Him was full of spontaneous adventure. We were excited and alive. We experienced Him so tangibly in such a fun way.

When we arrived in Jackson, we went at a friend’s request to the ski resort. We took the tram to the top of the mountain. Ate waffles and gloried at His glory. We hiked down a mountain and marveled at the sights. We stopped, took a million pictures, breathed in all He had for us in those moments. After a couple of miles hiking down the mountain, we hopped on the gondola and rode down the mountain.

We made our way to our newly reserved by God campsite. We hooked up and had a safe place to sleep. We walked by the lake and stood in awe at what His hands made. We ate pizza at the campground restaurant. We laughed, we played, but mostly we spoke in awe of our God who cares and provides not only in the moments of life that we truly need Him for survival, but even in the fun and light moments of life.

We realized He is in those too. God is fun. He created laughter. He delighted in watching us race to explore His creation giving Him glory.

We didn’t fail to thank Him throughout that day. And I haven’t stopped thanking Him since because since God healed my stomach ulcer, I’ve watched Him guiding me more to enjoy Him. To laugh. To rest. To have fun. Life isn’t all serious. He is the God of it all. The serious and the light. The planned and the spontaneous.

And for the rest of my life, I will hold dear to me the sweetness of that day watching God work so that our family could marvel at Him while laughing and feeling wild and free. No plans needed because we have a great big God who holds the world in His hands.