Cheese Moving
Well, it had to happen some time…
I had to read Who Moved My Cheese, by Dr. Spencer Johnson. If you have not every read it yourself, I high suggest you get a copy (click on the title of the book) and read it for yourself. And I can honestly say, I believe that God had me read that book for a purpose.
Of course, Sarah had already read it, but she needs to read it again. In fact, my whole church could stand to read it. Over and over again, actually. It tells the story of two mice (Sniff and Scurry) and two Littlepersons (Hem and Haw), who are the size of mice and act a lot like us humans. And they are all in a Maze looking for cheese. One day they find some, and then….someone MOVES THEIR CHEESE!!!
The rest of the book is the story of how the mice and the little people handle the loss of their cheese and what they do…and how that relates to us. And it truly hits the nail on the head.
After reading it (all 80 some pages of it), I was blown away. It seemed that I was completely like one of the characters (not one of the positive ones, mind you) and that I needed to really change some thought processes. Of coarse, we all knew that already, hence the mini-sabbatical.
I am very excited about a great idea I had, and hopefully my wife will be as well, and I also had a great idea for my teams. I will not divulge it here on the “net” because these blogs get read by people and I don’t want my team finding stuff out the wrong way. But I am more excited that i have been in a long time. And I have God to thank for that.
Matt Redman wrote a song called You Never Let Go and the words say:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth
Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You
These words have a much deeper meaning for me now. I KNOW that God won’t leave, and I KNOW that He is right here with me, and I KNOW He hurts when I hurt, but I have felt very alone and in a deep almost depression. And I know why I have felt this way: my cheese is not moving….and I have not made it move.
I am a worship minister, I will always be struggling with congregates who think they know more than I do or know God’s will more than me, and they may or may not, to greater or lesser degrees. My church’s leadership is strong and weak, again depending on the day. MY leadership has not been 100% “spot on” as of late, and my integrity has taken a little bit of a hit…and it’s because I want my cheese to move…so, I want my cheese moved for me. And I need to move my own stinking cheese.
There is a point in the book where Haw is going it alone and he thinks of his friend Hem and wonders how Hem is doing…He begins to doubt and second guess himself. But then Haw realizes that Hem has already made his decisions and Haw has no control over anyone other than himself. And I needed to read that…and I should and will read it over and over again. And what amazes me most, is that God never forgot me, and dropped me, or rushed me. I HAD to come to terms with all this on my own.
My pilgrimage isn’t over yet, but I am a few steps closer to where I think I need to be, and it all comes back to some cheese moving.
