Psst

Sometimes, I wonder if it takes more for God to get our attention these days because we have so much stuff in our world that's designed to do things for us and we don't do so many things for ourselves any more.

In the very early chapters of Exodus, God comes to Moses in a burning bush. Moses is a little bit of a distance away from the bush, but he sees it burning and decides he must go over and check this out. The Scriptures are so awkward here - "I must go and see why this bush is burning but is not burning up." 

And really, Moses walked over to the bush that's on fire because there's probably other stuff close by that could potentially catch fire from an uncontrolled flame and, in Moses's time, there wasn't a fire department to call; he was it. 

Moses was the one who would have to put out the fire. Moses is the one who would have to protect the surrounding valuables - fields, houses, livestock, whatever. Moses is the one who is going to have to take care of this situation because in Moses's time? You did it yourself.

Most of us today, I think, would see a burning bush and if we didn't just ignore it because, hey, it's not our problem, we would call someone whose "job" it is to take care of burning things or we would grab the nearest fire extinguisher or we would run out a hose or a bucket of water.

But there are not a lot among us who would take the time to "go see why it is burning and not burning up." We are problem-solvers, and we are surrounded by solutions, so the only questions we ever really have to ask are questions like, "What ingenious human creation solves this problem and how do I most quickly access it?"

We would certainly not just take the time to "go see" and study the fire. We've already studied fire. A lot of persons smarter than us have studied fire. We know what fire is, and we know what we're supposed to do about it.

But I don't know. I mean, I'm sitting around thinking about it and what if some problems aren't meant to be fixed? What if some things aren't meant to be approached, assessed, and "handled"? What if some of the things in this world that look like they're "not my problem" are actually my invitation?

What if, in taking half a breath before I call the fire department, I suddenly know in the most beautiful and breath-taking way that right here...right here is holy ground? 

We live in a world that says God doesn't do those kinds of things any more. Really? Has God really stopped doing all of the incredible things He's always done or is it just that we are so quick to put out the fires that we never step up and really see the bush? 

And if that's the case, and if God really wanted to get your attention, how would He even do it? In a world that can solve all of your "problems" with a couple of clicks or so, what are you willing to stop and look at? What are you willing to go see?

What's it going to take?