Good morning…
At 4:41 am I finished and sent yesterday’s post Way of Life. Before climbing back in bed, uncharacteristically, I set my alarm. I was coaxed awake for a second time at 7:30 am. I enjoyed a cup of coffee on our back porch before my 8:30 am walk-and-talk. I was to meet up with a long-time friend at Chastain Park. My morning was going great. Hot coffee. Cool weather. Prayerful journalling. Everything was going great, until I stepped out the front door to hop in the car for my 15-to-20-minute drive to the park.
No car. There was no car. With our two college kids home for the summer joining our rising high school senior, my husband, and me, we have been juggling four cars for five people all summer long. With one in the shop that morning, we were down to three. Two nannying girls. One “odd job” summer working son. And one husband who just needed to be dropped off to work at the school. My pre-scheduled walk-and-talk fell low on the priority list.
So, at the eleventh hour, I called my friend and said, “I’m really sorry. I have no car. Might we be able to walk from here to the horse farm instead?” We talked through our morning schedules and found our way to a decisive, “No.” Then the creativity of God’s Spirit rose up to say through her voice, “Why don’t we each put our shoes on, put leashes on our dogs, and talk on the phone as we walk in different places?” Ingenious. Masterful. A wonderfully wise idea.
Walking in separate places in the same city, we talked through our sadness about the loss of Cole, we discussed her daughter’s soulful 21st birthday celebration, and we discussed how important it is to do one thing well, every moment, every day. “Our single focus is where God’s vine meets our branch. Our only job is to abide, to remain, to stay at home in God as God stays at home in us,” I heard the Spirit speak the wisdom of John 15:4-5 through my voice.
Astutely she said, “That sounds really nice, but actually, how am I really supposed to do that? When stress ratchets up and my anxious mind races, how am I supposed to really ‘remain’ in God?”
I responded without skipping a beat, “Here is how I abide the best. When I notice my craziness quotient rising, I realize I have separated myself from God. I take a breath and form my anxious, obsessive thoughts into a question. Then I put God’s name into the sentence and carry on a conversation. Shifting my inner monologue into a dialogue with the Divine, I empty the contents my heart and wait for the LORD’s response.”
I told my friend that yesterday’s post was a perfect example. I had drawn a blank while trying to discern our morning message. I sat with God. I waited patiently. I listened with my whole being, perched, attentive. The question forming from my anxious blank slate became the center of yesterday’s blog: “If the will of God is the way of life, I ask, ‘LORD, what is Your will for me right now?'”
We waited in silence as she pondered the possibility. “Interesting,” she replied. “That reminds me of the Hillsong song, So Will I (100 Billion x). I will send it to you when I get home.”
When she shared with me the music video of the live performance, I was totally blown away. Now it is your turn to touch on the following link to experience God’s gorgeous fruit growing on our abiding branch right now.
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God (Psalm 40:1-3, MSG).
…Sue…
