Dog biscuits do not contain magnets....

The title must bring about some sort of inquisition for you. So let me fill you in; it is three separate stories that all have come together for one...God is good! The other day I had gone out to my car and at some point realized my drivers side tire was flat. To which my response was a simple smile and joke between God and I about Hibdon tires. I candidly whispered to Him, “yeah, we are do for another visit to the office.”  Then I smiled inwardly to myself because, you see, every time I have gone to Hibdons over the past four years I have had an amazing interaction with one of His children and it never fails! So I didn’t panic as I knew it was coming and honestly with some excitement I got into my car and drove very slowly on my flat (I know bad idea, but I was sure God was gonna get me there safely....after all I had an appointment). I drove with sheer anticipation going 20mph the whole way :)

 So as I arrived at Hibdons with my books in tow preparing for a long visit. I bought four tires and sat down to read. I took an initial scan of the guests but no one particularly stood out so I simply prayed, asking God to have His way and went on to read Matthew in my message bible. As they had pulled my car in, I saw them start working on it and took the opportunity to pause and look around for any possible eye contact, but none. So back to reading I went; oddly enough as I see them finishing up my car, at precisely the Right moment, a man sits down next to me and says, “Are you reading the bible?” My eyes look up upon a tall man of middle eastern decent. There was a spark in his eyes and as I replied, “yes”, he said, “that is very good, very good.” Trying to contain a joyful smile he asked, “What part are you in?” To which I said, “The new testament; Matthew.” I went on saying, “You know I can read this book year after year and I am blown away by all the new things it reveals to me each and every time I pick it up.” He nodded his head as if in complete agreement and gently said, “I feel the same way about the Koran.”  He continued, “There is always more between the lines that God wants to show us.” We sat and spoke of God. We talked of how the endless search for worth and money has left our people heavy and burdened; but that a relationship with God could cure it all. We pondered why it is so hard to teach people this and how you cannot force ones eyes to be opened, ears to be cleared, or hearts to be receptive. But how once you’ve seen, heard or experienced Him, you just want to share all of the gifts He has poured out on your life with every man and woman. I explained that relationship with God seems so intangible to people and that this is why I thought it was so hard to offer that gift to others.  To which he replied with a quite humorous but very true metaphor. He said, “I would argue that God is tangible, He leaves a trail on our lives and on all creation that shows He has been there,” He said, “and it is a tangible trail.” He started the metaphor, “It is like a camel in the desert, they are hard to catch a glimpse of as the dirt blows and camouflages their coats as they blend so well with the sand, and so long after the camel has gone, whether you ever saw him there or not there is a trail, a trail of his poop is left behind and so you can be certain a camel was there.” He said, “I think God leaves a trail too, in our lives and if we look closely we will see that it is indeed there and is very tangible.” I pretty much loved him for comparing Camel poo to God’s trail in our life, but the point was true. I knew I could indeed find tangible places where God had moved through my life, and he in his.

 We concluded with a comparison of the gifts of the ruler of this world, we both knew him as satan, to the gifts from the ruler of the Kingdom, God. And he left me with this thought. He said, “When we acquire the gifts if this world (i.e. really anything monetary or material), we have the hardest time sharing them. There may be a select few people we choose to share with, but we certainly don’t naturally go offering them to a perfect stranger. However the gifts of God we cannot help but want to share with everyone.” I said, “Perhaps it is because subconsciously we recognize that there is an abundance of one where there is never enough of the other. The other will never fill you, no matter how much you gain you intrinsically know it will not be enough; it cannot be enough. And so you have none to spare for a brother or sister. But with Gods gifts, love, joy, peace, kindness....there is a never ending supply and you naturally want others to share in it with you. It feels right when you share them and really,  really good. There is enough to go around.” Within our final words he said, “ We can never completely understand Him; He is God and we are not, but we can have relationship with Him which is enough and probably all we could handle.” I simply walked away in awe of God and His ways which I can never fully understand; even when I think I have the perfect grasp I realize in humility I do not know at all. But I always have a relationship with Him and that warms my soul and fills me completely. 

So the day goes on and the following morning I arrive at Holy Yoga, where a dear friend of mine is stepping into teaching and this was her first class. The message she decided on was the Wisdom of God stemming from the story of Job; which if you have read it really shakes one’s understanding of God and of God’s relationship with satan and the choices made for our lives...lots there! But mostly it expresses how little we really understand about God and that we cannot truly question it because we don’t posses the capacity to process the answer. There were no right answers among the friends who came to speak to Job, and even Job had it all wrong. None of them had it figured out and none of them truly understood what was going on, even though some tried to convince themselves they did. God did not intend us to understand Him, just to be with Him. Just to love Him and trust His judgement and guidance for our steps. We struggle to understand, we try to explain...all of us do it! Because it makes us feel better or more safe or closer to God; like if we box Him in then we will never be shocked, surprised, or hurt. Now we all know logically this is absurd but we still do it. He has never asked that of us; trying to understand Him completely. He has simply said, “You my child can trust Me.” We try to make sense of His movement in our lives; and it is an ongoing process to relinquish our own understanding and rest in His. It boils back down to trusting in who He is, and what He has said, and believing in the availability of your relationship with Him. And the security that this is enough! That you do not need to understand to believe and live fully in Him!

Our cars and our houses are purposed to contain us, but they cannot and neither can we contain an understanding of God. He is free, He is everywhere, He is a mystery, He is beautiful, He is loving. But mostly He is available; all the time, in every moment, in all things! So the last story brings us back to the title. I was meeting with a dear friend hashing through some of the struggles I had and surrendering to the fact that I truly had no idea exactly what God was up to. That I have had moments of discernment along the way but far from a complete picture about why I am where I am with certain promises He has whispered to me. Things I don’t want or want to do but cannot shake the constant message that indeed this is what He is asking. And so I get up to go to the restroom and as I sat down I see a tiny, folded up piece of paper in the corner on the floor. And I focus in on it and it seems to have writing on the inside. So I reach for it and as I unfold it I read, in bold print as if from a manufacturer,  “DOG BISCUITS DO NOT CONTAIN MAGNETS.” I thought, huh!?!?!?! That doesn’t even make sense at all, but I knew God had wanted me to find that little piece of paper and so I stuck it in my purse and rested knowing, or rather hoping, He would eventually explian. So later that night, I typed into google “dog biscuits do not contain magnets”. The article that came up was funny to me and spoke about anthropomorphizing (ascribing human characteristics to a non-human). Hmmm.... isn’t this exactly what we do to God. When as far as we know, He does not think, live or breath like us. I have had a long hard walk of trying to figure out why things have happened in my life. Not understanding why He asks me to do one thing and not to do others. Why this and why that; oh and of course the moments when I thought I had it all figured out.... what I have come to discover is I am not God. We cannot attribute our qualities onto Him and then decide we have it all figured out and lay judgement on the world, or disappointed on Him when it does not play out as we had figured. The truth is that the very best of our thinking is much too simple and much too self serving to be compared to Wisdom of God. The perfect metaphor for trying to understand God is about as clear as DOG BISCUITS DO NOT CONTAIN MAGNETS...I can see it, I can read it, I can comprehend what it is literally saying, I can gather that it means something, but for the life of me I do not claim to understand or have it all figured out  about why this little note was ever printed or what exactly it is saying or how it found its way to my path, but I believe God does! Some of you may think you know, some of you may spend the rest of your life burdened to figure it out and then a few of you will rest and enjoy whatever has been given to you whether good or bad and find fulfillment in simply getting to know the Creator, Designer, Manufacturer, and Keeper of all that you will ever come to see, hear or know! 

p.s. I see God in all of this, linking it all together before me and for His Kingdom. You may not understand or see how I concluded this...but I'll leave the explaining up to HIm, He is always more more equipped to get the intended point across than I...... Rest In Him!