My Bobble

We all know the feeling. The gift that has been sat smugly under the tree, is finally in your hand. It knows that you don't have a clue what it is, and it knows that it's better than all the others. You open it a little quicker than your other presents and then pause as it takes a good few seconds for your brain to work out what you're holding. Suddenly the excitement kicks in as you realise that this little thing is going to change your life - it definitely would have been top of your Christmas list if you had known it existed!

Meet Bobble. Pictured here next to my Danger Mouse mug, this was that life-changing gift for me. Having watched me carry a big bottle of water to work for the last six months, my wife had spotted this strange invention that would filter the 300 year-old water of Cedar House as I drank it. My bag was suddenly a litre lighter when walking to work and I had a spring in my step. 

It's not really left my side since I first tore open the paper. It's perfect for sipping whilst lying in bed (not dissimilar to a hamster bottle in the way it doesn't drip much when held above the face) and also looks great on my office desk. 

I've taken a while to get to the point. Though I really like the product, how ridiculous would it be if I showed this bottle more affection and appreciation than I do the person who gave it to me? How foolish and despicable would I be to value my bobble more than I value my wife? 

How laughable to love the gift more than the giver?!

And yet this is what we do all the time. Families, jobs, health, gadgets... all good things and yet how often are they higher on our priority list than than the person who gave them to us? How often are they more on our minds? How much time and energy do we spend running after getting more of these things compared with seeking more of God Himself?

Last Sunday Andy Tilsley preached at Crown, highlighting the humility, persistence and boldness of Moses in Exodus 33. Even after God had promised His guidance and blessing, Moses continued to knock and wrestle; the gifts were good, but he wanted more of the Giver. "Show me Your glory!" 

After Terry Virgo's message last month, I felt a new passion to get to know God better. A few weeks later, Andy hits us with another beautiful challenge along the same lines. We have permission to fight for this; let's persist in seeking more of God's presence, individually and as a church.