This week’s blog will be short. I am leaving soon for a couple of days of vacation (in the military we call it “leave”). I don’t do this often. My family would say that it is less frequent than that. Normally I take leave to work on something else, like moving from one duty station to another – or – helping my daughters move. Seems they picked up my bad habits of moving too often. Not this time. Today I’m going to Chattanooga, TN for a men’s retreat. My wife suggested it and she was surprised when I said that I would go. I was surprised too. I was more surprised with my excitement about going.
It’s been a rough week. The military is a hierarchical organization and we all answer to someone. In jobs like mine, I answer to two someones and a host of folks that think I answer to them as well. Those are the people that make things the most difficult. Anyway, one of those people demanded that I give details about a complex project that my office is working. The project has many other organizations involved (both government and private businesses) each with their own interests, priorities, and timelines. My problem person wanted a detailed timeline of each step and how we would complete by this June. Several times I explained how this was not possible, partly because he had not authorized a start date yet. He was unrelenting. I thought “if he could only see the big picture, he would understand the logic of my defense.” Then I remembered that when I fall short of doing what I know is right my defense is “yea I was wrong, but if others knew the circumstances, if they could only see the big picture, they would understand…” Our LORD sees our circumstances. In fact, He walked in our shoes and He understands. The Psalmist wrote “Shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21) Luke recorded our Christ saying, “And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts.” Luke 16:15
He doesn’t excuse our shortcomings, He forgives them. If we remember His words “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 37-39) we will keep everything in focus. This is a major lesson to help us become blessed peacemakers and be called children of God.
I’m excited to be taking the time to go to the hills to be with my God and a few hundred of my closest friends who I’ve never met.
In His Grace,
Dan
