"Look At Me..."

How many of you remember hearing those three words when you were a child?  I heard them often, and they were always connected to "...when I'm talking to you!"  Now I am all grown up (I like to think so anyway!), and I hear myself saying those exact words to my own children!  I wish you could hear my Daddy laughing at me when I share with him something I have said something to my children exactly like he used to say to me!  I remember trying the excuse, "Everybody else is doing..." only once or twice.  His response was always, "Everybody's NOT doing it, because YOU'RE not!" How he howled with laughter the day I shared with him that I had already said those very words to my own children!  I find myself laughing too, because in those exact moments when I am waxing eloquent to my children about something, it is almost as if my Daddy's voice has been dubbed in over my own, and I can hear his voice with startling clarity saying those exact words to me!

You know, I am thankful for my kiddos!  I know they are my little treasure boxes from the Lord.  Why do I say "boxes"?  Because my Hubby and I have been given the wonderful opportunity to fill their boxes (lives) with a treasure far more valuable than the wealth of the richest man on earth.  We have the opportunity to fill their lives with eternal treasures.  Wow!  I find myself wondering many times what I am filling those boxes with - and sometimes I have to stop and re-evaluate the things that are going into them.

I started reading through Hebrews yesterday during my quiet time.  Today, the Lord opened my eyes to  a verse I have probably read a thousand times.  The first 4 words of Hebrews 2:9 say, "But we see Jesus..."  The verse goes on to explain exactly who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  But my attention was arrested by those 4 words:  "But we see Jesus..."  I could hear my Heavenly Father saying to me, "Look at me.....when I'm talking to you!"  Ouch!

How many times do I (like Peter, I might add), get to looking at those billowing waves and raging wind all around me.  I take my eyes off my Saviour - and where do I end up?  Just like Peter, I end up "beginning to sink"!  And to my shame, that is exactly where I have been lately - "beginning to sink."  Then God gave me those 4 words in Hebrews 2:9 this morning....oh, what conviction those words brought...but, oh, what "balm of Gilead" they also were!  Conviction - knowing I wasn't where I'm suppose to be, but healing in the blessed comfort that He still loves me and is waiting to help me back up.  Knowing that He will walk back to the ship with me, He will calm the storms, and we can keep going on together.

"But we see Jesus..."  Will you join me today in looking at Jesus?