A Turning Point - Learning to Live Relaxed

Our children, along with some friends, took part in Cupcake Kids by selling cupcakes to raise money to send to Uganda. What an amazing success!

This was a small event that God was using to do something significant in my life. He's been showing me how to live a more "relaxed" life in Him. Thanks to the guys over at the God Journey, I'm learning more and more each day how to live life in the affection of my Father. So, just what happened on a rainy day selling cupcakes that's so significant?

As we were planning to do the sale, my wife was talking with the children and said they should come up with some kind of goal. My son Jonah yelled with great enthusiasm, "10 million." After some further diliberation, they arrived at a goal of $300. The plan was to have some sort of meter to chart the goal throughout the day.

In the week leading up, the forecast was 100% chance of rain all week. We were a bit discouraged, pleading with God to move the rain, or hoping that the weathermen were wrong. As Friday evening came and I was sitting with the children, we were preparing to pray when I shared something. It had to have been the Lord, and I think I needed to hear it more than they did, but here is what I shared.

If one of you has a gift of faith, go ahead and pray to move the storms. But if you don't, let's pray that we'll be able to relax and just see God's hand at work tomorrow as He unfolds the day with us. Let's embrace the day.

So we awoke the next morning to a lovely, rainy day. My son's baseball game was canceled, so it freed me up to help the rest of the gang to prepare and setup. It continued to rain for most of the day. We had upwards of 28 dozen cupcakes laid out. I fought any sort of discouragement trying to rise up - the rain, our somewhat disorganized plan of attack, my to-do list at home awaiting me, etc. So instead of hurriedly rushing off to tackle another thing off my to-do list at home, I hung around, hoping to enjoy the company of the folks who were there. We made some signs. We decided against the meter - we wanted to see what God could do and not limit Him to $300. I watched my daughter, typically shy and introverted, jump around in the rain, getting people's attention to stop and buy cupcakes, all the while not voicing any complaint about the lousy conditions. She even went door to door later in the day! People I didn't expect to come or be overly concerned with such an event came out and donated. I was really blessed and astounded at how God worked and whom He chose. After 4 hours, we decided to pack up - we had 10 dozen cupcakes left. It began to POUR down rain. Later in the evening, we took the remaining cupcakes to church, and after 7 dozen remained, we sent them off with a gentleman who dropped them off at the local mission.

The gang made $616.34 selling cupcakes in the rain in 5 hours. What an awesome Father we have!

The old me would have prayed for that storm to move away. I would have prayed, even hours, for that storm to go. Saturday morning, I would have woke up, convinced God didn't like me and that the day would be a bust. I would have missed out on everything, being a total grump for having "missed the mark" somewhere along the way. Instead, He helped me embrace the day, and together we watched how He decided to have it unfold. This isn't to say that I don't believe in faith that moves storms, I just think I spent a lot of time trying to convince God and manipulate Him into my desired outcome. That's a tired life. Relationally engaging Him and finding out what He is up to is much more fulfilling. Embracing trials and allowing Him to be the lamp unto our feet - that's freeing! He does do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!!!

The Free Man and the Religious Man

Then He said: A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:11-32 NKJV

I find this story fascinating - the father gives all he has to the children. The one blows it on wayward living, the other doesn't. But what struck me here is the father calls for the fatted calf when the prodigal returns. The fatted calf was no longer his to give! It belonged to the son who remained. But the son who remained at home, seemed to have done it out of duty, service, and self-righteousness. His heart is revealed as his level of joy doesn't seem to match that of the father's. The son who remained at home seemed to hold his possessions tightly. His brother returned, was welcomed back into the fold - but all he could do is complain about his "belongings" being used and feeling sorry for himself since no party was thrown for him. Wow - looks like his eyes were on himself! The reality is, the son who remained seemed to do so out of duty, and was tight-fisted. He didn't seem to share in the things that excited his father.

Isn't that a picture of us? Hanging around in the church, talking about, even to our Father, but not really caring about what is on the Father's heart! Do we desire to share in His sufferings?

So where are my eyes? Are they fixed on Him or myself? Am I tight-fisted, or am I freely sharing? Do I share in what delights my Father? Unfortunately, I often find myself feeling like the son who stayed at home - who's throwing me a party? Where's my fatted calf? Am I generous as I should be in my giving? Am I giving out of a cheerful heart as a response to His love for me, or am I giving as an act of service for Him?