When I got home from work today I had to mow my grass. I usually enjoy this point of home ownership, especially at the beginning of spring and during the first half of the summer. It is my tradition to do some thinking and listen to my mp3 player while mindlessly pushing my mower back and forth. I went to get my player out of my car. When I pulled the door handle I discovered it was locked. You are probably thinking I locked my keys in the car…wrong. Luckily my window was rolled down so I just reached in and flipped the lock and bingo…I threw open the door. As soon as I did, I was greeted by a continuous ear piercing beeping sound…it was my car alarm. I’ve got to be honest – I did not know I had a car alarm. I kind of freaked out because I am one of those people who think car alarms are annoying, especially when a person sets one off and is clueless as to how to shut them off. Today, I am that person. I started running around wondering, “How do I shut this stupid thing off?” My neighbor is now certain I am an idiot. He has finally confirmed what I have known about myself for many, many years! Talk about not knowing your own car.

Let’s rewind to last week. I took my car for an oil change at one of those “fast food for cars” places. I drove into the bay and stayed in my car while they changed the oil. The first thing they asked me to do was pop the hood. I pulled on something that I thought was the hood release, but ended up busting off the cover to the fuse box. I quickly admit my ignorance to the attendant. I pulled out the car manual and looked up “trunk release.” I know…I am an idiot – hood release, not trunk release! Finally one of the guys came over, opened my door, and pressed a button below the cover I had just busted. The hood popped open. I’m sure all of those guys were laughing at me when I finally left. Needless to say, I will be finding a new place to show my face next time I get my oil changed.

Have you ever felt like there were so many obvious things you were missing (like a car alarm or hood release)? I find myself feeling this way when it comes to understanding God. There are times when I discover something written in the Bible about Him and think, “I can’t believe I missed this before – it seems so obvious!” But then I remind myself that understanding God is a process, not an event. Each day is an opportunity to discover new things about God or how He relates in my life. When I think about it, many things are a process of discovery – marriage, parenting, a new job, relationships, and other things. What we love, we will continue to discover. If you love God, you will learn to cherish each new discovery about His character and ways. Understanding who He is will certainly open your eyes to more exciting discoveries.