“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’” Luke 17:20-21

It was a celebratory day. Coming off a week consisting of our Anniversary, Father’s Day and the birth of my granddaughter Cypress, it was now my birthday! As usual, the basic questions that came from most people were, “what are you going to DO,” and “what do you WANT FOR your birthday?” After the week I had, they became questions I simply could not answer!

Later in the evening we were invited to visit and meet our newest granddaughter. I had built up this great big idea in my head and was anticipating the moment. When we walked into the house… there she was… all bundled up in her bed and sound asleep! She was contented as she could possibly be! Not knowing what to DO or even what I WANTED, I simply sat down in front of her and stared in awe!

It’s moments like these that cause a HUGE question to burp up in my brain…”WHAT is WRONG with me?” I really didn’t know what to expect. But I DID expect SOMETHING! Likewise, I felt like I wanted, or needed to DO something with her, but I didn’t really know what or why! I started getting a clue when they pulled out 3 different cakes and started singing Happy Birthday to me AND Cypress!

The 3 cakes had been made over 3 days. With knife in hand, I started asking the parents, 2 sets of grandparents and 2 brothers, “what kind of cake do YOU want?” In almost every instance, the answer from each individual started with the word…”Uhhhhhhh!” Symbolical of a truth we all know, I realize that we ALL are generally EASY to please…but HARD to satisfy!

The Pharisees were basically non believers of their day. They were expected to know the answers to God questions. But they usually got caught… NOT! In this case, the Kingdom of God was THEIR business to know. When they asked Jesus if HE knew when the Kingdom of God would come, He gave them 1 firm statement that was guaranteed to show that there was NO WAY they could be satisfied. Because as it turned out, ‘The Kingdom’ was right in front of their noses… and inside their hearts…and they MISSED IT!

I must confess that I get caught up in the wanting and DOING of things to try to please God and myself. As if , when I hit the right combination, joy and fulfillment will arrive. While it may sound ridiculously simple, it isn’t. The Peace and Joy of God come to me when I REST in the fact of WHO and WHOSE I am…and NOT what I WANT or DO! It isn’t hard for me to slip off that boulder of truth.

I AM the grandfather of a little baby they call Cypress. I don’t have to DO or WANT ANYTHING to BE that! Sitting there looking at the evidence was PLENTY enough to please me! Likewise, I AM a child of Most High God! REALIZING THAT is really ALL I need to know to be COMPLETELY SATISFIED! It’s NOT a performance!

WHOSE WHO are YOU?