Through the eyes of a child

I'm so excited to begin a new bible study with my Saturdays. We are reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.

First, let me explain my Saturdays. We were so named by our study leader Leslie Miller after diving head first into our last book titled, "Plan B." Simply explained, all the good stuff happens on Saturdays. To learn more, you'll have to read the book, and I highly suggest you do, it was wonderful.

Now, back to our new book! I began reading "Crazy Love a little over a week ago. I honestly wasn't sure how this book would affect me. So many in our group had already dove into it, and were raving about how it convicted them, but I wasn't sure in what way I would connect with the text.

The first chapter is titled, "Stop Praying." Woah. That one hits you in an odd way. What on Earth could this say to convict me. Boy did I have a surprise in store. Chan encouraged his readers to stop praying for a moment and focus on the God that we are praying to.

"The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands in awe of Him. It may seem a hopeless endeavor, to gaze at the invisible God. But Roman 1:20 tells us that through creating, we see His "invisible qualities" and "divine nature."

Again Woah! I never stopped to think before I began to pray. Maybe that is something I missed out on by being raised in a Christian home. I never thought twice about striking up a conversation with God. He was my buddy on high! The ultimate Dad that I could talk to. When I truly stop to think about the creator of the universe being available to me at any given point in time, I'm in awe. The artist who painted the stars in the sky and suspended the galaxies in the heavens loves me and want to be a part pf my life. I'm speechless...

I'll hush for a minute. Go to www.CrazyLoveBook.com and click on the Awe Factor of God link. This video will really give you a glimpse of what I am trying to put into words.

While reading this chapter I thought of how I see God and what he means to me. Have I become complacent? Am I oblivious to the miracles that happen around me? My mother, a cancer patient constantly recites the following verse to me.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their vocie is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world." Psalm 19:1-4

I never paid much attention to it. It was just one of those things that she would say and I would notice the breathtaking sunset in front of us, or the night sky littered with stars. Mom has this thing about the sky and its beauty. Reading this chapter opened my eyes to the fact that she truly sees God's beauty, not just colors she would use to reproduce this picture in front of her eyes on a canvas. She is thanking God for the gift that he is giving her; a chance to see his majesty paintd on the ultimate canvas. I want to see God's miracles through the eyes of a cancer paitent, thankful for every moment God has given them.

And what about little children; experiencing God's wonder and magnificence for the first time. The look on a child's face when they discover the zoo, taste a new and interesting food, or get tossed above their daddy's head into the sky. Are they not seeing God? I want to see God's miracles through the eyes of a child again. Completely amazed and alive to those miracles for what they are; incredible.

I don't want to become numb to the greatness of God. I pray that I can open my eyes and see the gift God has given me. Becuase they are EVERYWHERE. I want to be a grateful steward of those gifts.

If this book is as good as the first chapter, I am going to be in for an amazing journey over the next few weeks with my Saturdays. I look forward to learning about God's Crazy Love for me.