Will You Lead or Follow?

Posted by Joy Cook on Nov 21, 2008 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

When I was little I always slept with a flashlight under my pillow because I had trouble sleeping and would read until I felt sleepy.  I remember one night I was sleeping at a friends house and I could not find my flashlight.   I searched frantically through my overnight bag for the light, but it wasn’t there.  Finally my friend said I could use her flashlight and I fell asleep almost immediately because not only had I found the flashlight, but I had worn myself out looking for it.  I so desperately believed that I needed that flashlight before I could go to sleep that I did whatever it took to find one.

In this parable, the woman who lost a coin also stops everything she is doing to search for it.  It is something that is valuable to her.  Something that is worth the time and energy it would take to look for.  The coin was likely for an entire day of work and something that she needed.  She tore her house apart and focussed all her attention to find the one coin. Once she found it she was so excited and thankful that she throws a party to celebrate.

What is it in my life that I would drop everything for?  What do I focus on so much that I let the things in my peripheral vision fade away?  God demonstrates through these verses that a relationship with us important to Him, but we also should see our relationship with Him as something to pursue and protect.  I have to ask myself how often I push everything else out of my way to spend time pursuing my relationship with the Lord.  When do I say no to being busy so I can safeguard my time spent in prayer or reading His Word?