Spiritual Sasquatch

Sasquatch. Big Foot. Many people believe such a thing exists. Many do not. Many say they have seen Big Foot. Many say that they have seen evidence that Big Foot exists. Those with opposing views laugh and shrug it off -- saying that Big Foot couldn't possibly exist. So, who's right?
I have a friend that believes in Sasquatch. He has never personally seen a Sasquatch, but he does believe that they exist. I have never seen anything other than a giant ape, but I'm not ready to jump on the Big Foot bandwagon. I asked my friend why he believes they DO exist and he coulnd't really tell me. All he said was, "why not?"
My friend could have turned the question on me, but he didn't. Not that I would have had an answer better than his. I've never seen a Sasquatch, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
Many people view God as a sort of Spiritual Sasquatch. He's an oversized "creature" that is neither man nor ape. He is recluse. Often quiet and harmless. He is seen by some and hides Himself from others. Some choose to believe in God while others do not. Why?
In no way is this meant to be blasphemous. I believe in God with my entire heart, mind, soul, and spirit. I do not compare Him to Big Foot. I just use the "myth" of a Sasquatch to raise a question: What makes one person choose to believe and the next choose to laugh and shrug it off?
Since my friend was so adamant that Big Foot exists, I did a little research. I found a website for a Big Foot Organization and they attempt to answer a lot of the frequent Big Foot questions. One was "why are there no Big Foot remains? Surely, he has to die." I thought this was a good question. Their answer: because no one has searched for remains. I didn't think this was a good answer, but then again, I'm not sure what I was expecting.
People searched for Christ and His remains in the tomb. They didn't find any. Why? Because Christ rose and is no longer in the tomb. Still, people decided that this was not good enough. They say that His disciples moved His body to an "undisclosed location." They create any excuse in the book to justify their lack of belief that Christ simply rose from the dead. Lack of belief is sometimes much easier than belief.
What makes something believeable? What is that missing factor that helps the entire world believe that when they breathe, air enters their lungs? Why are some things "accepted" as truth and others are tested? Who decides what to accept and what to reject?
Answer: the individual.
God gave each and every one of us our own personality. Our unique individuality allows us to cultivate our beliefs. God gave us the freedom to either choose Him or reject Him. God loves us and wants us desperately to believe in Him, but He will not force it. It is our choice. Pure and simple.
Psalm 139:7-10 says:

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast

Who else that you know can say that? What person in your life can be EVERYWHERE you are? No one in my life can do that. Not my husband. Not my parents. No one. God is always there. He is a Spirit. He knows no boundaries in time or space. 2000 years ago, Christ hung on the cross and looked ahead to 2006 to see me sitting at work, writing this blog. He knew I would be His child one day. He knew that I would choose Him. He knew I would believe.

What do you believe?

Patience

I really hate this word. I can't stand the idea that I have to sit and wait on something that I want. The world is filled with impatience and I've adapted my lifestyle accordingly. In a world of fast-food, Internet, emails, telephone, etc -- who needs to wait on anything anymore? I want to talk to my friend who lives in Ohio, I call her. I want to see my nieces that now live in Tennessee, I can turn on a web-cam and see their adorable faces on my computer. TiVo is great! It enables us to record anything without tapes. It allows us the freedom to pause live TV when my husband receives a telephone call from the cutest little girl in Alabama who has to talk to her Uncle Keith.

With everything in the world moving away from the term "patience," why is it that God wants to shove us toward it? I waited 11 years to meet my husband. I had no choice. I dated other guys, sure, but they weren't the one that God designed for me and I wasn't about to settle just because I was a bit lonely and tired of waiting. When I met the man I knew, down to my core, that he was the one that God hand-picked for me, I didn't want to wait. I wanted to get married. I wanted to begin our life together.

And we did. 8 months after we met, Keith and I were married. It was a whirlwind courtship and engagement. In a lot of ways, now that we are married, we are still learning a lot about the other. It's been slow, with our own ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. This is the marriage God designed for me. For us. I know that. I trust that.

Now, at the age of 31, my mind begins to focus on children. My mother had me when she was 33, but I was the youngest of her three children. I don't want to wait TOO long to start my family. On the other hand, Keith and I have only been married a little more than 3 months. That's not enough time to mesh our lives together before adding a baby. So, what do we do? We get a dog.

Maggie has become our baby. She's 3 1/2 and the most adorable dog with the sweetest disposition. She has wiggled her way into our hearts and lives and neither of us can imagine our lives without her. We rescued her from a shelter and it was evident that she had been abused. Knowing that and knowing how hard her first few years of life were, we want to do everything possible to make her life now happy and carefree -- just as a dog's life should be.

Unfortunately, Maggie has only added fuel to my baby fire and made me want a child even more. My husband and I have talked about it and we have placed our faith totally and completely in God. We will not have a child until God wants us to have a child. We both believe that. Still, it's hard to wait. It's hard to wait until we've been married a year to start trying. Why a year? Because that's what society has deemed is a reasonable amount of time for young married couples to wait before having children.

Patience. Hurry up and wait. Be still. Those are hard words to swallow and I am at fault for trying to rush God on several occasions. Why? Life is short. Why not sit back and enjoy what God brings my way? Why not leave the worry and the anxiety to God and relax and enjoy the ride? That is my prayer.

Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I'm a huge Shakespeare buff. In one of my favorite comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick tells his love,: "Serve God. Love me. And mend." I can do that. Serve God. Love my husband. And mend my impatience to the will of the Lord.