Good morning…
In yesterday’s blog post, How To Avoid Burnout, together we witnessed the loving voice of God captured on my cell phone. As the day progressed, I was also able to witness the love of God caught wearing fur.
My friend’s year old puppy loves his momma dearly. To keep him company while she visited with her doctor, I brought our dog, Tate, to play with her dog, Tucket. As I prayerfully rested in her beautiful backyard, peacefully observing, it was fascinating to watch God’s love wear fur.
Tucket sat beside me for a while as Tate explored the brand new space. Then they switched places – she sat with me while he hunted for his ball. Over time they joined each other. Poolside. In the garden. Wrestling in the yard.
The serene spirit of God’s love felt palpably present as I watched the two dogs interact. Giving space. Drawing near. Moving freely throughout the shared space. My role in the whole divine drama was to quietly witness, to silently watch easy connection grow between two individuals.
For over an hour I was privileged to witness the love of God calmly expanding. I could see a simple bond grow graciously between these new furry friends. Then I wondered to myself, “Might I open my eyes to see the love of God quietly expanding among people with skin on?”
The dogs did not need me to entertain them. The spirit in one peacefully played alongside the spirit in the other. It’s the same way with people, isn’t it? When we stay out of the way, we can witness God at play. We do not need to entertain people with godly rules, impressive beliefs, or kind interactions we initiate “for their good.” Like I said in yesterday’s message, we are not made to be HELPERS for God. We are designed to be WITNESSES to the Almighty God who is steadily at work in our everyday lives.
What we see. What we hear. What we taste. What we smell. What we touch. What we notice about the palpable presence of our loving God – this power beyond us becomes our focus. Where God is at work, we gladly join in – our spirit freely at play with the spirit of others. Healing happens not because we are HELPERS but because our Re-creator is orchestrating everything. Freeing joy gradually expands in the space between us as we become God’s delighted WITNESSES.
“I’ll anticipate their prayers and respond before they know it; even as they speak, I will hear,” promises the God who is in the process of making all things new. “But they’ll all eat together like friends—wolf and lamb, lion and ox, and the biting snake will feed on dust. When that day arrives, there will be no evil, no violence, no hurt or wrong in all My sacred mountain” (Isaiah 65:24b-25, VOICE).
“The creation the prophet sees—the new earth—is radically different from the one everyone knows,” says the footnote. “At some deep level, everyone recognizes that the everyday world is not the world as God intends it; things are not the way they are supposed to be. But God will make everything new again. In that day, the painful past will recede and vanish. Unbridled joy and celebration will eclipse grief and sorrow… Peace will be secure without exception. God’s blessing will settle over all creation. Creation itself, with all its complexities, will be made new. No predator. No prey. Just peace and harmony throughout. This is a world only God can create when He creates it anew.”
As I leaned back on the lawn chair and watched our dogs at play, I was reminded to lean back and to watch God at work among us human beings. Today will you lean back with me to WITNESS our loving LORD creatively at work in the space between us?
…Sue…
