Lord, Don’t You Care?

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Today I am reading from “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha Word”.  This week chapter two “Lord, Don’t You Care?”

I have to admit, when I read that title I have to think back to a conversation I had via email with a gal this morning.  She mentioned she’d been struggling with health needs lately and wondered in God even heard her prayers anymore. And it’s hard you know?   To be struggling with a health issue and seeing no end in sight, with doctors that are stumped about what is going on.  Dealing with the pain and frustration, sometimes it seems as if God doesn’t really care.  That he’s too busy minding everyone else to notice the difficulties you are having.  So have that on my brain as I enter into this chapter.

You know what popped out at me?    Our desire as people that Life be fair.  That everyone shares the same load, pinches in to get the work done, that suffering is equalized… or at least not something that “I” as individual doesn’t have to worry about.

And when life doesn’t seem fair… it’s easy to get angry or bitter or spill over with sour grapes at the “unfairness” of it all.  Becoming self-focused, taking our eyes off God and putting them on ourselves.  It’s a great way to not see the bigger picture isn’t it?  It’s a great way to start asking “but God, this isn’t fair.   Don’t you care about me at all?”

Be mindful of the three D’s that Satan uses to accomplish this situation: Distraction, Discouragement, Doubting.

Distraction: Something that draws you away from what’s most important.  What is it that distracts you from God and learning more of him and living it out?   Figure it out and find out how to minimize it, to refocus your attention back to where it should be,  

Discouragement: When you are distracted from what should be the main thing, it’s really easy to get discouraged, to become fearful and downhearted, to start saying “poor me”. Just as God came to help Elijah when he was downcast in Spirit and helped him, God will help us as well.   He gives us Needed Rest, A Different point of view, A Renewed Sense of Patience, People to encourage us, and Time.  …. that last one eh?   Sometimes he does it all at once eh?  

I remember so often in my life when I was getting too stressed or too busy or whatever and God would allow something to happen… an accident with the car (TWICE!), a sick dog or something that would just make me have to stop, refocus, talk to God, and take some time.. and you know what… every time something like that happened I’d have something to talk about with people… and be able to gain some perspective on life again.  A good thing to do eh?  That’s God, caring for his folks. 

What is always comes down to is this… do we trust God?  Do you?  Do I? 

Do I trust God enough to realize that even through the hard stuff God still cares.  He still listens.  He still minds us full well.  Even when life is hard, situations are challenging, health is suffering, and so forth. Do I trust him?   And if I trust him…. what difference does that make in my life eh?   Ah… it means if I trust him I see his goodness more clearly.  Did you know that?  It’s a cool side-affect of trusting God.  If I know that he has got the situation covered, I am better able to cope, I am better able to see how God has blessed me and allowed me to see needs in others more clearly and oh… his terminal, everlasting goodness to me.  It blows my mind sometimes how this works.   It really does.  God is so good.  We just have to keeping looking at him and for me and seeking him out in everything.. even in our pain, even in our busyness, even in the sorrows… He’s still there caring and loving and being mindful.

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