BIGGER Than Me

         

     When a baby is born there is a strange sense of irony.  On the one hand the whole world revolves around that delightful bundle of joy.  A baby thinks only of one thing – him or herself!  When he is hungry he cries out for food, when she is in need of a diaper change, she frets.  When he is sleepy he becomes fussy and difficult.  Yes it is all about him or her!  Still, he is totally and completely dependent on those around him to meet his most basic need.  As that little one grows, baby realizes that the world is a much bigger place than their nursery or the arms of mommy or daddy.  This is perhaps the greatest revelation one has in a life time.  There is something “bigger than me”.  As I woke this morning, I thought of things in my life – some that are within my control, others that are far beyond what I can orchestrate, manipulate or even dream.  I am reminded of the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr that states “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”  Perhaps it is “politically incorrect” to say I believe in something, Someone higher than where I am - “bigger than me”; but who doesn’t in one way or another?  When you put gas in your car, you believe in someone who is bigger than you that refines and provides that resource.  When you purchase food or clothing at the store, you believe in a merchants’ system that designs, grows, creates that product in some type of manufacturing system bigger than you and then channels it through a system bigger than you, the consumer to meet your needs, to provide your wants and wishes.  When you put your “check mark” on a ballot, you are expressing belief in a person “bigger than you” to get a job done you can’t do alone.  Each time you flip on a light switch, sit in a chair, adhere to the care of a physician, deposit a check in a bank or read a story like mine that travels into infinity across the internet, you are acknowledging that there are things bigger than you, higher than you, more intelligent than you, with more means than you, to care for your every need.

          It is with that premise that I fully acknowledge today that I am not an island, I don’t have all the answers, I need something, someone walking along side me in life, looking over me in day to day activities and offering help, advice, direction, and simply companionship and care.  I make no apologizes for the fact that I acknowledge my Creator each morning even before my feet hit the floor.  I would not want to face my days any other way.  Maybe you don’t believe in “God” in the way that I do but you believe in something.  We all believe in something.  I am told in today’s world that it is incorrect for me to acknowledge my sincere believe in Someone bigger than me, yet I see each and everyone of us doing this every single day in one way or another!  So it is with great respect, humility and love that I simply say today I am grateful for the care of One who has walked beside me on some of the most difficult moments in life.  I find courage in knowing that Someone “bigger than me” is there.  This gives me strength to digger deeper than I would otherwise, to aspire to more than I thought I ever could and to never give up no matter the adversity or challenges I face.  If you want to know how I can speak so boldly, well because the source of my belief has never failed me.  Unlike gas pumps who sometimes have had an “out of order” sign, or a grocery shelve with a “temporarily out of stock” sticker, or a feuding Congress in “deadlock” or a friend who is “booked up” for the week, or an employer who is handing out budget cuts or pink slips, or a doctor’s office who can’t see me for a month, or even a family member who lives so far away that a hug is infeasible, I know that no matter the time of day or night, all I have to do is speak words of love to my Maker and within seconds I get the assurance and sense through the “whispers in my heart” that He is there, always there!  I am a five foot one and half inch petite southern girl who is a long way from having all the answers or getting it all right, so it is a comfort to me to know that there are things in life much “bigger than me”!  How about you?