Sushi and the Voice of God

I have never been accused of being 'adventerous' when it comes to trying new foods.  For years I have wanted to--I really have--but always find it easier to eat what is most familiar to me.  But just a couple days ago some friends invited myself and my family out for sushi!  Even though they were gracious in describing the restaurant as offering foods that might fit my palate I was a little skeptical. 

So we show up at "New Island Sushi" and found it to be very good!  Sushi had always been described to me as "raw fish", and that was not very appealing but the variety and taste of what we found was pleasantly surprising.

The reason I'm sharing this little story with you is because if I hadn't been willing to try something new, I would never have been able to receive the blessing that came with the experience.

I wonder if that's true when it comes to our relationship with God too?

Here is today's question in our attempt to 'Get Real':
"In today’s busy world how do we help people find time to listen to God?"

I think we are being taught by our culture that in order to overcome a problem in our lives, we try to find an outside source that will fix it for us.  Need to lose weight?  Try a new program that will fix the problem.  Need to deal with debt?  Hire a financial advisor.  We search for external answers to internal problems.

What we need is a new perspective.  Let's go back to my sushi adventure for a second:  my resistance to new foods prevented me from experiencing sushi.  If I had asked others what their experience had been eating sushi that would have given me more information but it would have done nothing in terms of transformation--that is, changing me!

So let's continue in this path:  If I need to lose weight, then the first questions shouldn't be for me to search out external answers.  The first thing I should do is examine myself.  Do I have a discipline problem where I don't utilize enough self-control in my eating?  Then when I get honest with myself I should say: "Now, how do I need to change?" 

The same is true when it comes to the question above:  if we are too busy to hear God's voice what do I need to do differently?  The first question should be: "What needs to change in me?"

If you are too busy to hear the voice of God, and you really value hearing His voice, then examine yourself and decide that something needs to change in you in order to make that happen.  You can never force God to speak, but you can certainly make choices about what things you put in the way that prevent His voice from being heard.

Be honest with yourself, and courageous enough to take steps to change. 

God said this to Joshua when he faced some pretty daunting tasks:  "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:6)

If you are a son or daughter of the Heavenly Father, then this is a message for you too!  Be strong and courageous because God is with you giving you the strength you need to make hard choices in life.  Being too busy to hear the voice of God is not an inevitability, it is something that can change.  God wants that for you. . . .

How badly do you want that?

Who knew that sushi had so much to do with God. . . . . .

BT