Month: October 2009

“Can I lay my head upon your lap?” It’s a question I like to ask of my heavenly Father. When I am just wanting to be in a place to feel cared for and safe, this is where I go. I snuggle up tightly next to Him listening to worship, letting myself be flooded with the peace I need. I never want to leave….

She didn’t see me at first watching her private dance but once our eyes locked there was no embarrassment. The dance continued, her body swaying in a rhythmic motion. My own inner child responded and I moved to simulate the same rhythm, giving her my “coolest” pointing fingers to show her I loved her grooving. To my surprise she grinned with the most innocent look I had seen in years, giving me approval.

Against all protocol of our culture I approached this young girl and pulled the earphone away from her head, asking what it was she was dancing to, all the while trying to match her with my own “funky dance” of the moment. Without missing a beat, she kept moving to the music and showed me the artist’s cd she was listening to, telling me it was one of her mom’s favorites! In her ingenuousness she also shared that her mom couldn’t buy it.

I asked her name. “Grace” she spoke. How perfect I thought, a true beauty in the Lord. Before we left the store we paid for the cd to give to her mother. It was a small token of the joy her daughter Grace had given me. She reminded me of the innocence of a young girl’s dance from long ago.

As fall approaches quickly the temperatures have finally dropped enough to open our windows in every room of the house, letting a fresh breeze flood throughout. This gives us reason and opportunity to clean corners where dust and cobwebs have tried to take hold. I love a good clean but am not always a fan of the hours involved to do it. Let’s be honest, I can get distracted by my findings.

Today it was a watch. My favorites were always the elegant time pieces to decorate my wrist. Today I found a cheap one I can remember buying out of pure necessity. I had laid this piece to the side because a latch had broken and honestly it was homely. Now mind you, it’s been years since I’ve worn a watch, so when I went to toss this out I was impressed by the fact the secondhand was still ticking off seconds; the battery should have given out long ago.

Holding it in my hand, I kept looking at its face, fascinated by its ticking away flawlessly. It seemed important to notice and I sat down to think about it some. Was I throwing away time in my life just because it seemed worthless?

Mark 13:31-33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”

“The problem is all inside your head, she said to me
The answer is easy if you take it logically”…..

Paul Simon sang about “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” and looking at myself and the world around me, I’d say his number was low balled. With the distractions we face in temptations and dealing with life needs, it’s like a marathon only the fit can survive. I myself can, and have, left my Lover on an hourly basis in ways too numerous to confess. Each reason left me feeling empty and dissatisfied. Worse still, were the moments I let myself feel condemned by the master of lies.

The voice of my Lover calls still, without ceasing, never tiring, always ready to take me back in His arms. I hear His desire to pursue me unto the end of myself. Without shame I turn my face to seek Him back. For the many ways I may have left Him, I know there is only one way to return, and that way is Jesus Christ.

Hos 2:14  (Message) “And now, here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to start all over again. I’m taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date, and I’ll court her.”

Rom 8:1 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Days are numbered for all of us in humanity and when we realize this, our perspective of time readjusts itself to the understanding that each day is precious; a gift to us. What should we do with this day?

I love a good treasure hunt myself. I set out with a prayer to ask the Lord to help me have open eyes and open ears to recognize the treasured moments our heavenly Father has already laid out for us. I can feel like a little girl saying, “Daddy, Daddy, what surprises do you have today?”

Sometimes my treasures lay hidden in someone else and how to help them. Sometimes they are gifts given to me unexpectedly. A hug, a call from a friend, you know the simple things we might overlook if we walked about with closed mindsets. As I enter into my day I am leaving my house with anticipation and I say, “let the hunt begin”.

Psalms 118:24  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it

In the grand scheme of this world as we know it, basically there are two major camps of people; those who influence and those who are being influenced. Now is the time to decide in what camp we want to pitch our tents! What people group do we want to associate with?

I think sometimes we tend to follow others because we don’t have a clear vision of who we are in the first place. The uniqueness with which we are meant to walk is so often discouraged by conventional ideals to homogenize our personalities so others can feel more comfortable. It’s the same notion which took over restaurants and stores. Make everything the same in every city so people can feel comfortable in knowing they don’t have to experience new choices. Over simplified concept but you get the idea.

Conventional thought must be displaced with “new thinking” that anything is possible and we should expect that “new things” will happen!

I am looking for a generation who will not stop at the edge of the envelope and play it safe. We should be ashamed to seek safe if we serve God almighty. He alone is our safety and He draws us into the great unknown. Let’s stop holding back to see what others are going to do and jump forward into the “what are we going to do for God!”