The Great Exchange

Hello, I am Dina’s mom. She asked me to share something for her blog that I wrote two Christmases ago. It’s short and simple but the Holy Spirit works no other way in my life. As I am getting older, I hear the Lord saying to me more and more, “Kelli, do you see what I see and do you hear what I hear?” “Maybe, maybe not”, I say, “but I want too so much more Lord!” I have been asking the Holy Spirit to open my heart more and more to the truths of God’s heart. So here are the thoughts I had on my heart one day while driving to work; I had just finished praying. I titled this story:

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

As I was driving I passed a sign that said, “Attractions”. This sign had logos of restaurants, hotels and gas stations on it. “Hmmm”, I said to myself. Who else to talk to but myself. “What things attract me Lord?” I thought of the ocean and all its beauty. Restaurants not so much. I do not like eating outside of my home and I am not too thrilled about other strangers preparing my food. Once you have tasted great home cooking growing up, it’s hard to get past that. My mom was an amazing cook, my sister published a cookbook, my other sister is in a gourmet dinner club and my four brothers are fabulous cooks. So there you have it! Oh, and my brother in laws are amazing cooks and I better mention my sister in laws; they are
even better than the guys!!

I do not like clothes shopping. My real weight and the weight I list on my drivers license are two different things entirely (so peculiar!) I love to spend time with my honey which is all the time lately! I have four beautiful daughters, two fabulous sons-in-law and four amazing grandchildren! So, getting to spend time with them is priceless.

So, I was thinking how cool it would be if the “Attraction” sign would read something like this, “All readers get off here. We have peace and quiet and special chairs for you to relax in.” Or a sign could read, “All walkers get off here. Enjoy our scenic paths and walk your heart out!” All about comfort for me. But enough about my needs. Most “Attraction” signs are for convenient quick stops. Like getting fast food, gas or staying at a hotel. This is very convenient when you are in a hurry or traveling out of town.

These “Attractions” are very convenient when things in our life are not
convenient.

“What is convenience Lord?”

Is it when it is not too out of the way for me? Is it when my plans are not disrupted? Is it when I can make a quick stop and not get delayed?

What if there were signs that said “Inconveniences.” (Yikes!!) “Like what?” you ask – here are some ideas:

“Stop! Make a meal for a friend or an enemy who did not ask for help.”
“Fix the bed and unload the dishwasher before you go to work.” (For me!)
“Make a phone call to someone who is full of anxiety, or go visit them with
flowers.”
“Run out your front door as a neighbor, for the fiftieth time, is walking his dog,
(and this neighbor never wants to say hello and does not use a doggy bag!) give him homemade cookies.” (Very familiar sign for me)

We can all come up with our own signs.

Sometimes tv can look really good and be a great escape, but, and I say but, it is not on the “Inconvenient Exit” sign. I am attracted to conveniences of all kinds but it’s the inconveniences that Christ ministered to. He truly blessed others with His time and compassion. He took the time to create the world and mankind. He left Heaven and came to earth as a baby with the plan to save us from our sins so we could live eternally with Him. Pretty amazing! If anyone was inconvenienced it was Jesus.

In luke 9:58, Jesus says,

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

I do not think Jesus thought anything was an inconvenience. In John 6:38 Jesus says,

“For I came down from heaven, not
to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.”

In John 6:51, Jesus talks about who He is and His plan for mankind,

“I am the living bread that
came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Jesus had a plan to rescue mankind and He moved about purposefully. You don’t get
the impression He is rushing from one activity to the next. I do get the impression that whatever He did was to glorify His Father. He was kind, patient, full of grace and mercy. He used His time to heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the hungry, calm the stormy sea. He prayed to His Father often. He granted forgiveness of sins. He took great care to teach His disciples about the Kingdom of God and how to live in it. He challenged the religious leaders who thought they were the authority. Little did they know they were speaking to the One who has complete authority! Wow! What a great God.

I love Romans 10:9,

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Some call this the “Great Exchange.” I gave Christ my sins and he gave me the gift of eternal life with Him! So, as you are changing lanes on the freeway, think of it this way: You are exchanging one lane for the other so you can get to your destination. Which destination are you choosing for all of eternity?

As you carefully navigate your journey on this planet earth, think of the “Great Exchange” every time you change lanes. For us it is a free gift if we are willing to believe, but it came at a great cost to our Savior.

John 3:16 says,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus says something so profound concerning when He will return in Mathew 24:36,

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father.”

So in the meantime, we are to look to Jesus as our example on how to live. He is our “sign” on the freeway of life as to what lanes to take and what entrance and exits to get on and off of. We are to forgive one another, love one another, pray for one another, praise Him, be thankful in all things, and give of our time and resources; but most of all, in everything share the truth of Salvation through Jesus!!

“Lord teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Lord, just as you came to do the will of your Father and to give Him glory, help me to do this as the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1:6-7,

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you
may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that
the proven genuineness of your faith -of greater worth than gold, which
perishes even though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory and honor
when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Every time you change lanes in life or get on an entrance ramp or off an exit, will it be to the praise , glory and honor of Jesus?

I pray it is for my life, and for yours.

Thank you for the opportunity to share!

-Kelli