daily desperation

I have safely returned to Ensenada from a great trip back home (Gracias a Dios!). Slowly hit with reverse culture shock upon arrival in Nashville, the phrase that kept ringing in my mind was our daily desperation for Jesus. All of my life, I have never been desperate for primary needs such as shelter, food, water, health or even emotional and spiritual ones such as loving relationships or a church family. Wow. Even to type that is such a blessing. Riding on our various comforts in life, I have been so easily blinded to the daily desperation we have for Jesus each and every day.  Yes, we cry out to Him as our Lord when we face a disaster, loss or sickness and we trust in Him as our Savior that will be there to meet us when its all said and done but what about right now? What about when we are so blessed to go through each day with minimal worries and often allow the devil to fill up our thoughts with unneeded stress and negativity?  He reminds me that even we are too distracted to notice, we are just as desperate for Him.

As I have shared with many of you, something I love so much about the Christian faith here in Mexico is that the plan making is left up to God. Meaning that the conversations go something like this: "In December I am going to visit my relatives if God wants" or "If God allows, we plan to be there on Saturday." Also, when you thank someone for a meal a common response is "Thanks be to God."  The first few times I heard these phrases they stopped my continually churning brain to look up and say- "Yes, God. It is you."

It is He who controls all that we are. He created us and knows each one of our days to come. As we often reflect on having too many possessions, I am challenged by the reality that the excessive planning and striving may point to some doubt that HE is not enough. How often do we equate enough by having enough stuff? Enough money, enough qualifications on our resume, enough clothes, enough food? In my few years of life, I can testify that each of these things will never last. The money runs out, someone else is always more qualified, the styles are always changing faster than the seasons, and when we think we don't have enough food there's usually a full pantry and fridge full. Why are we striving so hard to keep up with the ways of the world?

It is all about perspective. Jesus is just as alive today on Earth as he was 2,000 years ago. May we continually strive to fix our eyes on His goodness and fall before Him in daily desperation as our Creator, Friend, Provider, Defender and True Love. Through this, may our "have tos" become "get tos" and our reactions in all situations be filled with His praise.

He is living in us, fighting for us and more than capable to provide for us. Let us rejoice in who God is and trust that He is enough! His grace is sufficient. His mercy reigns. We are desperate for Him. We are desperate for His spirit. A resource that will never run dry. Thank you Jesus!

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 

Isaiah 58:11