Pastor's Corner: Hidden in plain sight

In the Bible we read that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Sometimes the very best thing for us is right in front of us, yet we don’t see it because we are so busy with life. That’s where so many of us find ourselves, lost in life and becoming more and more frustrated.

There is a visual game you can play where you try to find the differences in one picture when compared with another. Some are fairly obvious and easy to find where others are really hard. You can find some right away yet, others can find you looking and looking until you feel like giving up. My secret is when it’s hard to find the difference, I ask my wife.

Life can often be like the game. Some challenges are easy to face and overcome, while others seem to stump us and we might even want to give up. Jesus has made it easy for us to find help. He extends his hand to anyone who is willing to accept him into their life. The key is to be willing to surrender ourselves to him and make life about him more than us. No, the challenges may not go away but they become easier to face when we face them with Him.

So often people may find it hard to discover this because the busyness of life has so controlled them that they are unwilling to see their need in anything or anyone other than themselves. They may go to church, sing the songs, listen to the message and talk to the people but they go home feeling the same defeat as when they started. They know they need something in their life but are unwilling to give in to their need for Jesus. They may attempt change on their own only to become even more defeated. The real problem may be that they want life the way they want it and they try to fit God into their life instead of their life into God’s.

Life will keep you down if you let it. Last Sunday I introduced the idea of “Being Positive.” It’s really not my idea but I felt that we needed to take a renewed look at the theme. We need something better than what the world around us is willing to give. I see so much negative thinking that it has a tendency to make us go the same way, if we will let it. In God we have only positive things to celebrate and when the challenges of life become overwhelming be positive and think God. Trying to fit God into our already busy life will never work. We need to fit our life into God's way and make him the very center of all that we do and are. Willing to surrender to Him is the only answer and the answer is right in front of you, don’t miss it.

See you in church this week or at least I hope you will be attending a church of your choice. And be open to God’s leading. It may surprise you how great it is to allow Jesus in.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pastor's Corner: Hidden in plain sight