Josh Samarco

Today, I received a text message with an encouraging word. A word, in which I thought I would share with you. The text said:

“Do not try to figure Me out, child, for you are mine and I am yours and I hold you in the very palm of My hand.  Together, we will do great things together…. Together I say.  Let nothing stand in the way of your time with Me.  Nothing.  I can get done in 6 minutes what you attempt to accomplish in 60 hours.  I am proud of you– you have pushed through (and at times push through) what your past presented to you, yet I was there through it all, strengthening you, never forsaking you.  Keep your eyes on Me and do not add to My plate.  Continue to dine with Me, and Me with you.”

Encouraging right? What baffles me is how on time this word of encouragement is. I love how sovereign God is and how He goes before us and shares thoughts with us right when we need them. Sometimes I believe we think we can out think God or God doesn’t know what we are going through. Who are we kidding?

I am a person who likes to have a lot on my plate. I don’t mean dinner plate but hey there is nothing like a stacked delicious meal. I like to be busy during certain seasons of life. For me, I receive joy being pulled in different directions. It’s weird. It’s like an oxymoron or something of that nature. I like to connect with people. I like to lead. I enjoy teaching, coaching and helping others. When I am stagnant it sometimes feels as though I am not accomplishing anything.

So, then I receive this text today. All of it is great but what connected to me the most was the second to last line. “Keep your eyes on Me and do not add to My plate.” How often do I try add to God’s plate? Better yet, how often are my eyes wondering other places than being focused on God? When we keep our eyes focused on God it is hard for us to add too much on our plate. Why is that you asked? It is simply because God tells us, shows us and reveals to us what should be on our plate. Through prayer, wise counseling and seeking God, He will set the plate for us so that we will not add too much. Too much on a plate can lead to sleepless nights and stress. Then again, too much on my dinner plate usually leaves me to feeling like a glutton, but that’s a different story.

To close I will say this… We add too much on our plate when we are not spending time with God. It’s amazing the cycle we tend to place ourselves in. Cheating on our time with God, going about our day to day lives on our own strength, then feeling overwhelmed, seeking God, He shows up, refreshens us and then we start the cycle all over again. My friends, if we continue to dine with God, He will always show up. In fact, God waits for us daily to invite Him to the table. I want to encourage you, as I have been encouraged today, to keep your eyes focused on God and to join God in His work. I mean God is a great chef and server. Let us let Him fill our plate! : )

“Give us this day, our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11