Thanksgiving Revelation

One of my hopes as I mature not only in years but also in Godly wisdom, is to gain insight while going through the challenging times.  In honour of Thanksgiving I would like to share a recent experience and how it brought revelation of how I appreciate God in a different way that has become more real and impacting.  

As many of you know I use a power chair as my transportation.  I completely rely on my chair to get me everywhere that I need to go.  To maneuver the power chair I use a joystick which also has a monitor or screen.  In a vehicle there is a gas gauge, speedometer and a check engine light to help determine the way you drive.  For a power chair the monitor above the joystick helps me determine which drive I am in (indoor/outdoor/aggressive), the speed rate that I am proceeding in and how full the battery is.

In many ways we all come to rely on these indicators to function properly and precisely.  What happens when these indicators malfunction?  Of course for safety reasons you would stop using the vehicle until it’s repaired.  Last week the monitor on my joystick control went completely white.  I couldn’t see any of the indicators.  However, the advantage with using the power chair is that I have the luxury of continuing to use it.  I learn to adapt by using other methods of indication for example, to change the speed I have to turn a dial and on the dial there is a white dot which determines the speed.  If the white dot is more on the left side it means I’m going at a slower pace.  I can also tell which drive I’m in by counting the beeps as it goes through each drive.  I can also tell by feeling how fast it’s going.  By gaging my chair with my other senses I can continue on with my activities.  I needed to, as my family is coming to town and I need to prepare everything including a turkey dinner in honour of Thanksgiving.  

Now, what in the heck does this have to do with our relationship with God?  One of the greatest challenges that we all have in faith is listening to God.  Sometimes we think God is silent or not speaking at all.  Sometimes we are so impatient that we give up and stop praying.  We get use to listening to God in a certain way.  For each of us there are different indicators that we have come to depend on so when these so-called indicators stop working we automatically respond by giving up in defeat.  What is so magnificent about God is that He uses all kinds of indicators.  We forget that we also have different senses that we can utilize.  Perhaps the next time we think we can’t hear God or  think that God isn’t listening maybe we need to change our perspective and go beyond our usual indicators and open our minds to other ways that God communicates.  To exercise all our senses so we can receive and understand His message to the full extent.  I am so grateful to be reminded of this especially on Thanksgiving.  What a remarkable blessing and a great revelation that I will forever cherish.