Open the Box!
As I meandered along the shore in the brisk morning air, the steady tide continually lapping at my feet seemed to be pursuing me. This reminded me of how God pursues us; steady, constant, and sometimes with great force and power. HE PURSUES US! All we have to do is BE STILL and KNOW that He is God and receive the gift… Way more than that a career, a salary, or the best Christmas present ever. HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH. We do not have to be “good enough” to receive this gift.
This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Isaiah 30
Chuck Nolan, the character that Tom Hanks played in Cast Away, had quite the opportunity to be still before God. He was the lone survivor of a Fed Ex plane crash. Living on an uninhabited island for several years, his only friend was Wilson, the volleyball, and his hope was placed in an unopened package addressed to someone in Texas. We never find out what was in the package. What if it was something that could have rescued him? (In fact, Fed Ex did a commercial speculating that it was a satellite phone in the box.) I remember feeling like shouting… Open the box, Chuck!
We do not have to go through life feeling like we are living on a deserted island with only an inanimate object as a friend; desperately holding on to an unopened gift as our only hope.
The Maker of the Universe pursues us to be His FRIEND!
John 15:15 (NLT) I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
We have been given the lifesaving gift of grace.
Ephesians 2:4-8 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
We just need to open the box!
HE pursues us not because we are worthy or deserve it… but because He loves us and desires us to not just have fire insurance but to receive the gift of salvation and exist, live, rest, breath, thrive fully in his grace.
John 1:16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[e] 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 10:10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Have you been staring at that unopened gift, hoping that it will be just what you have always wanted? This gift has your name on it, and you don’t have to wait until December 25th to open it. He is holding it out to you in His loving and outstretched arms. Receive it, open it. In it, you will find hope, grace, peace, and salvation. It is the gift of God
My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot…/dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3…
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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