Written on March 5, 2014 at 2:07 p.m.
I really get frustrated when things don’t go my way.  Present example: sitting in my living room with no sound except the tick of the clock.  It’s quiet and a little dark at 2:07 in the afternoon.  Kie is upstairs sleeping and I’m alone downstairs.  Wait.  That sounds heavenly.  What is wrong with me?  How could that description possible be the present example of things not going my way?  Because truly, it’s fairly wonderful–the quiet, the time alone.  Oh, except for one small detail I forgot to mention.  I have no electricity.  No, there wasn’t a major storm that blew through this morning knocking out the power to my neighborhood.  The weather is calm.  The utility company is doing their job (fairly thoroughly it would seem).  No, I just forgot to pay the bill and they came and disconnected my power.  Sigh.

Truth be told, I realized this morning before heading to work that I had forgotten to pay the bill.  So, as I sat at my desk in my office, I wrote out the check, put it in an envelope and planned to mail it when I got home around 12:30.  However, when I arrived home at 12:27, my garage door opener wouldn’t work and I couldn’t pull my car in.  I thought to myself, “I must need new batteries for this garage door opener remote.”  So, I parked in the driveway and Kie and I headed to the front door to enter the house.  Hanging on the knob was the notice that informed me that my electricity had been cut off because of non-payment with no warning.  They had left the notice and cut off my electricity at 12:03.  I had just missed them.  Was I annoyed? Yes, very much so.  Did I think it was ridiculous?  Absolutely.  Was it trivial in the big scheme of things?  Well…yes.  I guess it was.

So, as I sit here in my comfortable house waiting for my electricity to be reconnected.  It’s inconvenient and petty.

Just this morning as I met with God (before my power was cut off), I was reminded of men and women that I love and respect that are hurting.  They suffer for the sake of Jesus.  I’m reminded of a movement to bring light to modern-day slavery.  I’m reminded of our fallen world.

And I was hit with a reality check: Life is messy.  Our very existence is messy.  The earth answers the groans of its inhabitants as we long for relief from the suffering caused by our broken state.

My slight inconvenience–a physical reminder (my power being cut off) of the darkness brought on the world by the work of the Enemy. There is a constant struggle going on between God and Satan.  The war began long ago in the garden of Eden when Satan convinced Eve to eat the fruit off of a forbidden tree.  Though we still experience the consequences of Eve’s sin, we serve the victor.

Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

–Romans 5:18-19 (The Message)

I’m in love with this passage.  It says it so well.  Jesus has set it right because He said “yes” to God. Though Satan has been defeated, he remains in charge of our sin-stained world and he’s making a mess of it until Jesus returns and God puts it to rest.

My first world problems are momentarily annoying. This time I saw past a short afternoon with no power to what God wanted me to see. My prayer for The Church is that God will open our eyes to see real darkness and the absolute need for Jesus.  I pray that we recognize the need for restoration for broken lives, healing for pain–the need for a Savior.  My prayer is that we will see past ourselves, our inconveniences and our frustrations and we will say “yes” to Jesus, that we will bring light to the darkness, that we will do something.

This video by Matthew West is a great visible reminder of how we can make a difference and move past our #1stworldprobz. Check out his song called “Do Something”

It’s easy when we live comfortable lives to forget the dyer need around us. Yet, despite our short memories, God’s grace is everlasting and He just wants our “yes.”

Question:  Will you say “yes” to Jesus?  What inconveniences are you experiencing today as God’s reminder to get past our own comfort and do something to reach a dark world in need of Him?