Things are not always as they appear: see the bigger picture

Each Wednesday when I'm off work, I head to the laundromat since my apartment does not contain hook-ups for washer and dryer. I pull in and park today, walk around to the lift gate at the rear of the SUV to retrieve my laundry hamper and am greeted by the above picture. I will admit, I was startled by it. After all, I am in an asphalt parking lot with very little greenery in sight of my location. Where did a snake even come from? I mean, there is a creek not far behind here and a large nature area, but...

That's when I took a moment and really looked at what I was seeing. I wanted to see if I could identify the type of snake I was looking at. It was this point when I started to laugh at myself. Upon further review and analysis, the "snake" in question was a synthetic, braided hair extension which someone had lost. 🤦 

While this story is amusing and probably even caused a bit of a chuckle, the world today is the same. We see what is going on around us but do we really?  What flashes before our eyes in a matter of moments in a news flash or even our social media is only a flash of the bigger picture, mostly captured with the perfect shot to promote the story which the author us attempting to share. Photos are staged to show perfection while the imperfections are hidden. Numbers are skewed to fit an agenda while ignoring those which are a normal part of attrition. 

But how much more is it true in our churches? We walk into a service with a smile on our face and a pre-rehearsed praise in our heart telling ourselves that we are perfectly fine. We have our standard "Oh, I'm fine and you?", statement ready for the first person to approach to ask us how we are doing. Service begins and the Holy Ghost is there, trying to take whatever it is that we are desperately trying to hold onto. But like a statue, we stand there, frozen. We are afraid to be labeled a fake or fraud so we keep on holding it in. 

But just like this hair extension today, that which is fake must be removed. We have the power to choose where that removal occurs. With these extensions, they are taken out at a salon or in a home setting when done at the right time. If allowed to go past the time they are to be worn or with poor maintenance, they are discarded wherever and whenever they decide to fall out.

The things we are holding onto are the same. They can either be carried to God through prayer and placed on the altar willingly or they will be exposed by the Spirit of God. 

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