It is usually a feeling that I get in the pit of my stomach that says, “something’s not right.” It is my warning that something is off. I need to pay attention, and adjust accordingly.
My favorite casual boots had finally worn out after about a decade. Living in Minnesota, these are an essential part of the winter shoe collection. I went online checking clearance sales and landed on this pair. They were a brand I had purchased before, so I knew they would fit. And, they were at a price that would make my mom proud.
They arrived in the usual shoebox with all the stuffing on the inside. I pulled out the cardboard with tissue paper and the additional tissue paper in the toes. I slipped my foot in all excited for my new purchase. They felt just slightly snug. I took one step and they pinched my toes. Something’s not right. These should fit not hurt my feet.
Concerned I was going to have to return them, I examined them more closely. Were they frozen from sitting outside? Would they loosen up? From the outside, they weren’t stiff or hard. Confused, I stuck my hand back inside only to find another thin and stiff piece of cardboard lining the shoe. Needless to say, removing the cardboard resulted in a perfect fit.
I knew something was off. This happens at other times when a slight knot in the stomach gets my attention. I pause and look deeper into the situation. Is God trying to tell me something? Am I becoming to well-adjusted?
12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2 MSG).
This scripture reminds me that God is always at work in me, challenge me to stay focused on Him. When something’s not right, I’m being given something to quickly respond to. I need to stay focused on His call giving Him my ordinary, everyday life.
Do you get a sensation when something’s not right? How do you respond? Share your story here to breathe life and bring hope to others.