reserve your comments

"Reserve your comments until the end of the movie." Or, "reserve your comments until the end of the presentation." Or, "Please no talking during the movie."

Some stories may seem to make more 'sense' than others, but nonetheless, we are all a story, God's story. It has value. It has purpose. You have value. You have purpose.

So why not reserve comments until the 'end' of the movie and let the film Creator, Director, and Producer call all the shots?!? How liberating would that be? To truly reserve 'comments' and judgment especially during times when we don't understand or cannot see fully what the Creator is doing or when things seem or appear like something or nothing we would have chosen or imagined.

Here is truth to take to the bank: Not everything is as it seems. And no one knows the heart of a man, but only God.

So how about this. Let's stop judging one another! Let's stop commenting negatively on what we see and don't see, as if we are the film Creator. Only God has the final say so.

Funny story not too long ago. What seems to be chaos could very well be God's mercy. I was driving to work one morning. Slow, slow and more slow cars. But that particular morning, a calmness was over me. I was a law-abiding, patient driver. :) (Don't worry, I always am). But that particular morning, I was especially not in a rush - enjoying my ride into work. At peace and in peace. Then on my drive home from work, I was craving some take out. Starving. I make my way to the drive through looking at the first menu before I pull up to the speaker to order. And out of nowhere, a car zooms up and totally cuts me in line! For a second, I didn't understand what had just happened. I am in line, where did you come from? And then I realized I just got fronted. What's up with that?!?

I had to consciously choose to brush it off and thought to myself, "that person must be really hungry, no worries." In an attempt to make my time useful so when it's my time to order, I'll be ready, I fumbled through my purse for my wallet. I'm digging, digging and digging. Guess what? NO WALLET!!

I quickly pull out of line and slowly and carefully drive home (no wallet). Where did I leave it? Is it at work? When did I last have it? I run into the house and my nephews knew exactly what I was looking for, my wallet! Apparently I had forgotten it in their room the night before.

SO in retrospect..that morning the Lord caused me (and He did) to peacefully drive to work knowing I would be in some hot mess if a friendly cop should have wanted to speak with me that morning. And the person that cut me in line, was actually saving me from embarrassment. No wallet = no money to pay for food.

The moral of the story - reserve your comments until the end of the movie, cause you never know what God is up to. He can use ANYTHING!!