Variables

I've been thinking about variables. I usually make decisions based on a few variables. Let's say I want to buy something. My variables are...need, price, pleasure, function and such. The thing I have been thinking about is...how many variables God works with. It has got to be astronomical. That is why I have to trust Him with everything. God is working with some pretty raw material when He is working with me and He is making something that will exist with Him forever. He is creating in me a "weight of glory". The original word is Kabod. It is a cool word. It means a heaviness, a solidity. I have really no idea what it takes to make Kabod. The good news is that God does. It may take cancer for all I know. I do know that I want Kabod. I want what God wants for me. Here is something cool though. A year ago, the elders decided to give me a sabbatical for rest, restoration and study. It is a huge and wonderful gift. I asked if we could wait until after Rachel's wedding. (By the way, picked them up after the honeymoon and they had a blast and looked great...it does a Dad's heart good to see his little girl happy in the arms of her new husband) Now, after the anonymous letter, some nasty accusations, some people deciding to leave the church, a wedding, house construction and my parents moving up...it looks like the perfect time for a sabbatical. Who knew? My Father in heaven who loves me decided a year ago that right now a sabbatical might be needed to make some Kabod in Joe. So, I continue to sit and be amazed at the love of the Father. The sun shines today and it is as much a gift for me as the first sunrise was for Adam. It is a gift for you as well. So, whether it is a sabbatical or a disease, I am trusting God to put the right variable together to create in me the weight of glory. Thanks for all your comments and your prayers. I will try to find a cyber cafe in Italy (yeah, that is where we are going...how great is that?) to keep you bloggers posted. Until then...ciao.