Seek and You Shall Find

Last week, during heavy rains and flash flood warnings, my living room flooded. The exterior drain got clogged and water seeped in, drenching the carpet and padding. I only discovered it because a meeting I was supposed to be preparing for got postponed. So while the kids took care of their afternoon responsibilities, I emptied the dish-drying rack and tidied the kitchen. When I walked along the far side of the living room to place a special platter back in its display holder, I felt the squish of puddling water in the wet carpet beneath my feet.

My first call was to my husband (the iPhone tells me I made the 16-second call at 3:23pm). His office is a mile from home, so he arrived within six minutes. In that time, my boys and I grabbed every towel in the linen closet to sop up the mess. That’s when I texted my network of friends.

Within moments of texting each request, different friends responded telling me they had what I needed. Within 90 minutes of discovering the flooding, I had everything I needed to fix the problem, including a neighbor who came over to help my husband snake the exterior drain–all without spending a dime.

In response to this situation, I had a choice. I could either focus on the frustration of the flooding or I could be amazed by how quickly everyone responded. I could be annoyed by the clogged drain or touched by the outpouring of kindness, generosity, and availability of the friends in my community. I could obsess about the potential for the problem’s recurrence or I could be grateful for every aspect of the solution.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

Usually when I read Matthew 7:7, I hear the Gospel encouraging me to pray – to ask God for what I need. But now I hear something more. Now, I hear an invitation to either seek God’s abundant grace or seek my own self-centeredness by complaining.

Seek and you will find.

Because regardless of my goal here–regardless of what I’m seeking–I will find what I’m looking for.

Far too often, I struggle to recognize God’s grace in a frustrating situation (like that time I was Stuck at the Gate). As I have shifted my prayer to specifically ask: Speak Lord, your servant is listening, I am delighted to find myself recognizing abundance instead of lack… grace instead of frustration… opportunity instead of disappointment.

In faith, I know God’s grace is abundant. The question remains: Do I seek it?