Barrett
This past week was another milestone week for our country, our band, and our home. My beautiful wife Liz and I both got to celebrate another birthday, and we had such a great time making our debut at Papa Turney’s BBQ joint. What great food, and I think we’ve definitely found another place that will be hopping once the weather warms up!
Having a birthday in January, so close to the new year, it’s always been a time to really double down on News Years resolutions as you think about the past year and start looking forward to the next. It was great to take some time off and relax and catch up on some of the things we love including some music and some riding time. Nothing like the view of a country road and creek from the back of horse!
Also this week, our country witnessed the inauguration of a brand new President. I’ve never seen more energy and subsequent controversy surrounding our current political climate. It amazes me the divide that can come between many of us. My morning devotion today came from Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
What was really laid on my heart about this verse was that it’s not only positive things that you will find. For most of my life, probably like most people, we’ve heard this verse and we tend to conjure up images of choosing the right door on the game show for the grand prize. We think that it means that if we simply wish for “good” things and Worldly treasures that God will just grant them. Well of course we know that faith is not simply equal to Earthly rewards, and everything is in God’s timing. But the deeper meaning I find in this verse, is that what you seek, what you ask for, the doors you visit, it truly will direct your life, and that includes when we seek evil. You see, if you’re encountering a problem, or going through a difficult situation you have two choices. You can take a step back and look for the bright side of the situation, or you can wallow in the perceived negative and have a woe is me attitude. And whether you want to make it a good situation or a bad one, whichever attitude you pick, you will be right. If you look at a certain person and are seeking to find something negative about them, well if you look hard enough certainly you will find something. But if you look at a person and seek to find something positive, well certainly you can achieve that as well.
And that’s exactly what we all need to do. Take a step back and realize that no matter what, God is in control. No matter who is in the White House, who is in the Capitol, who is in the governors mansion, Jesus is still sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven, and nothing on Earth is going to change that. So there will be times of excitement, times of turmoil. We will encounter great people and those not so great, but we alone have the power to control what we seek in this world. So you can sit there and whine and try to look for the negative and sit around waiting just for someone to screw up so you can say I told you so, and if that’s the door you want to knock on, be careful because it just might be opened and you’ll find all the negativity and turmoil you were looking for. Or you can seek God, and look for the positive in each day and new situation that arises, and he promises, if you seek it you shall find it. So here’s to all the positive things that await our household, our band, and our country as we start our next trip around the sun!
-Barrett Coffey
