Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
I have been collecting cardboard for “lasagna gardening”—the technique of layering discarded decomposable material, that mixed with bags of soil or clay dug out of the garden beds, then replaced with good loam—eventually becomes friable, that golden mean of all gardener’s longings. Nothing grows well without a good growing medium.
So, I have been collecting collapsed cardboard boxes from my neighbor’s garbage piles and only needed a handful more to complete the first layer for the garden bed I am extending.
I was supposed to drop off my chandelier that needed rewiring, but the electrician’s shop didn’t open until 1:00 p.m., and I was 15 minutes early. I grabbed the 30-minutes-only parking space on the street and waited until I could carry the rather heavy chandelier around the corner to Rehm’s Electric.
I was parked beside the Home Brew Shop’s side entrance, where a crew of teens was hauling boxes that had been delivered into the store and breaking apart the cardboard that they wished to discard and stuffing it neatly into one large box.
Something inside me nudged, Don’t you need more cardboard? Well, here it is.
My deal with God is this: I have proven over the years that I am an inadequate botanist. So, I have promised to try to do better by taking care of the part of the good world He has entrusted to me to steward if He will function as the Master Gardener of our property.
Ask that kid if you can have that box stuffed with good biodegradable cardboard.
OK. OK, already—I don’t mind hauling things out of people’s garbage early in the morning when no one is around, but this was midday, on the street, and these young kids would probably think I was some kind of bag lady. (Which, when I think about it, I guess I am in a way.)
I hopped out of the car and made a deal: “Hey, you need to get rid of that cardboard and I would like to have it. Is it all right if I just put it in the back of my car?”
That box is now off the street, out of the car, and waiting for me to spread it in what will eventually become my west-side sun garden.
Master Gardener, indeed. He is the One who has taught me that everything is reusable, mostly repairable. Recycling is part of His redemptive plan for Earth and the humans who inhabit it. A box stuffed with cardboard was the great gift He could give me in that moment.
I spy God!
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Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
