Captain Obvious

Sitting here, tonight I am totally "chill" as the youth might say. I love the twilight. I love the sound of my fan buzzing. I love the bullfrogs singing their love songs in my back yard. I love the sound of my family shuffling around in the kitchen and the living room lamp that glows through the bedroom door like a flame. I love how my fur babies feel as they and my multiple pillows surround me while I write. This stolen moment gives me some reprieve to reflect and enjoy my passion--writing! I don't really have the time to write. I have the never ending laundry pile, dogs to bathe, emails to answer, Sunday lunch to prepare, etc., etc. Actually though, to tell the truth, I have been writing all day long in between working and life's necessities. I've read or written something for my two classes to ad nauseam, but that's not the same. When life is overwhelming, when I can't come up for air, when there is too much to do and too little resources to do it...that's when you have to write! That's when you have to push back and go on the offensive! There's no more perfect time, no better way to stake your claim, no better way to remember who you are, in my "book" (pun intended) than to let all those emotions and thoughts spill out onto an empty page---a page waiting to capture who you are.

It was early this morning that I knew I would be writing tonight. Have you ever just needed a Captain Obvious in your life? Yes, we make fun of these people sometimes at our meetings and gatherings when they state something that is self evident, something that is obvious to even the most dimly lit in the room. Yet, how many times do we miss the obvious? How many times do we miss the forest for the trees, or better yet; how many times do we miss the beauty of one individual and uniquely beautiful Dogwood for all the leaves and brush? That has been me, even though I strive hard to "see" what might be missed everyday. I sometimes fall short. I sometimes miss the obvious. Jesus reminds us of this in Mark 8:18 New International Version (NIV) "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?" Sometimes, we have to cause ourselves to see, to hear and remember. 

There is a pair of earrings that I have which are unique and dear to me (those of you who have been in my closet and seen my accessories would laugh...because I have many such earrings---yet trust me, they all have their own "special" home--LOL!).  On yesterday, I wanted to wear them. I thought they would match a necklace I was wearing that day. I have a gold tone pair and two similar silver tone pairs. I went to their location to get them, but the lights were dim, and I didn't think I saw them. I thought they were the gold tone's silver twin. So, I said, "Goodness! That's the silver ones! I wanted the gold ones!" Something prompted me to look closer, but I was in a hurry, and I didn't. Instead I looked in other locations where the gold ones might have landed. I looked for a minute or two. Finally, I gave up and grabbed another pair. All the while something was prompting me to look again. I didn't look again. I refused to see! I was busy with life and no time to focus.
Today, it was the same story. I needed those earrings. I went back to look at the ones I had seen the day before. "Doggone! Where are my gold ones?" Again, God prompted, "Lisa, take those earrings out of their place, and look at them. Go ahead...look at them." I did, and you know the story. It was my gold earrings. "What? How in the world did I miss that?" I was embarrassed and shocked that I didn't see something so obvious. I missed out on wearing them yesterday, because I refused to see. It was right under my nose all along!
Isn't that the truth, though. How many times is the answer we are searching for right under our nose? How many times is it right in our face? The answer has a name. The obvious "thing" that we are missing can be called in a moment's notice. His name is Jesus. Yes, He is the obvious answer to all our frustrations, cares and concerns. He is all we need. He is our more than enough. Whenever life becomes crammed to overflowing, mostly by our own choices, and however tough the trail, we have an obvious and ready friend. He will wipe our tears. He will hold us tightly in his arms. He will restore our broken places. He will redeem our losses and give us grace for the journey. I don't want to miss Him. I want to see Him in the everyday and the mundane, as well as in the glorious. I don't want to miss the ones He places in my path to love. I don't want to hold back the love He has placed in my heart, because I am preoccupied with the cares of this life. I am so thankful for Captain Obvious who never lets me jump ship even when I think I might! He holds me fast and directs our sails forward. "Oh Captain, My Captain...I adore You!"