Follow the Spirit's Leading

    Have you ever had a time when you felt the Spirit leading you to do something, but you chose not to do it? I know I have. One of the times that sticks in my brain the most is when I was in sixth grade. I was in a fight with my best friend. We had not been talking for at least three months.

   Then one day I got off the bus to walk home. My friend lived on my street. I felt the Spirit leading me to talk with her. To try to reconnect with her. To ask for forgiveness. But my pride got in the way. She was the one who wronged me. She should be the one to say sorry. She should make the first step toward reconnecting. 

   I didn't talk with her that day. The next day she wasn't on the bus. The cars that were normally at her house were gone. I had known they were moving but I had no idea it would be so soon. The spirit knew. The spirit told me to reconcile with her, but I chose not to listen. Now, later I did try to say sorry, but she was not receptive to it. Who knows, if I had tried to reconcile that day, maybe she would have been my friend again. I felt sorry and ashamed for not listening to the spirits leading.

   Another time I was at a church event. I was running the sound system. I had just turned the lights down for prayer and began playing a prayer playlist. The person up front was praying. Suddenly, I had a vision of someone I hadn't talked to or heard from in over a year. I saw her talking at the microphone in front of everyone. I heard her ask for prayer.

   I'm not going to lie, part of me didn't want to text her even though that's what I felt the Spirit telling me to do. I didn't want to because this was a girl who had been after my boyfriend. A girl who told me she hated me. And she had cut us off when we tried to help her. But I knew I should listen.

   I texted her that I felt the Spirit leading me to pray for her. Then prayed for her to grow in God and that she would be blessed. I heard back from her. She thanked me and asked me to pray for some more specific things and I did. I felt such peace and joy after I did that. And I don't know what me choosing to do that did for that girl, but we are called to follow the Spirit's leading. We may not see the outcome but it's our job to plant the seeds.

   So, are you following the Spirit's leading? How can you grow closer to God so you can know what he wants you to do?

Looking at the Sky

    As I grew in my faith, there were times I would look at the sky during worship. Most people I knew would bow down during worship because they did not feel worthy of the grace they received from God, or some other reason. I began to wonder why I would look up. Then I thought about my spiritual journey. 

   One of my biggest struggles has been being authentic with others. I used to wear a mask and pretend like everything was okay when it wasn’t. In looking to the sky, at God, I was saying, "I trust you. I know you see me. I know you love me for who I am because you made me."

   During these times it's like rain is washing over me. I feel his presence and acceptance. His acceptance of all of me. He loves me just the way I am. Now, he doesn't like my sinful nature. But he does love me enough to wash those sins away. And he does that for you too. It’s amazing to think about how the creator of the universe loves us so much and wants to have a relationship with us. He gave us the gift of worship and we should praise him for all he has done for us.

   So, do you have a specific way you like worshiping God? How can you make a point to praise God each day?

Take a Hike They Said

    Have you ever been hiking? It can be a fun experience depending on the difficulty and distance. Well one year my husband decided he wanted to hike to flat rock at Camp YoliJwa. I told him I'd do it if we did it in the morning so we could see the sunrise and so it was cooler. He agreed and we got my siblings and some of their friends to agree to do it as well. 

   We started out strong. Then we began to go up steep hills. I had done the hike before, but it had been a while. And this time I wasn't in the greatest shape, my allergies were acting up, my knee was in pain, and I had asthma. I had a lot going against me, but I wanted to try to make it. 

   I started to feel my breath becoming ragged, so I stopped. I continued after a bit. Then after a few more minutes I could feel it happening again. I stopped and took off the warmer layer I needed because it was cold. I let someone else take the lead at that point so I could go at a slower pace. It happened one more time after a bit. I sat on a rock this time.

   At that point I could feel a panic attack coming on. We were over 1 mile into a 5-mile hike. I felt like giving up and going back. I felt like I was a burden to the others and especially to my husband who stayed back with me. Then my husband asked how I was feeling. I said I felt like a burden. He said not to worry about the others but worry about myself. He said I was fighting a lot more than he was because he was just fighting being tired. He also said not to let it steal my joy. 

   Those were all the things I needed to hear. I had major fear in my heart of letting others down, of letting myself down. I was so focused on others and what they thought that I wasn't focused on me and my needs. I got back up. I kept walking even if it was slower than I wanted to. Eventually, I became the leader again for a time. Then we made it to flat rock. It was a nice view. 

   The trek back down the mountain was a lot easier. And we had some good conversations along the way. Had I decided to turn back, I would have missed out on the sights of God's creation and some bonding time with other Christians. I would have missed a lot if I would've listened to the fear and doubt. And that's how it is in most instances in life. If we listen to the fear and doubt Satan sends our way we miss out on good things. On the things God has planned for us.

   So what challenges are you facing now? How can you trust God in those challenges? How can you trust God when you are afraid and doubt?

When You Do Everything Right But...

    My husband and I enjoy the sport of archery. One day, after about twelve classes, I was shooting with a different bow. When you are shooting archery, you would think the goal would be to hit the bullseye every time. It is, but it takes a lot of steps to do that. If you have a sight, a tool that helps you aim, then your goal is to get a good grouping. That means you do everything consistently aiming at the middle of the target with your sight. If your sight is off, then you may not hit the bullseye. You shoot a round of three arrows then, if they group well, you move the sight based on where the grouping is.

   I moved my sight this day until I couldn't move it any farther to the right. But my arrows were still going to the right of the target. Different instructors kept coming over to try to help me figure out why they kept going to the right. They adjusted my technique in different ways, but the arrows kept going right. 

Finally, one of the lead instructors came over. She watched what I did. Then she said, "your technique looks good. Let me look at your bow." She looked at the bow and realized that it was the bow that was the problem. It was not meant to be shot that far for one thing. For another, it was a bow that wasn't really meant to have a sight so that made it harder. The instructor went to get me a different bow.

   I was thinking about how that event related to life. Sometimes it can feel like you are doing everything right, but things don't work out. You can show love to others, serve, grow in God by reading the Bible and praying, etc. but sometimes bad things still happen. Your friend still leaves, your job is still a stressor, you are having financial troubles, or whatever the problem is. 

   Now, obviously, no one is perfect but there are times where you just feel like you are doing everything you can to make the situation better but it's still not being fixed. Sometimes it's not you. Sometimes it is a test or a trial. Other times maybe Satan is attacking you. Whatever the reason, take heart. Just because things don't seem to be working out doesn't mean what you are doing isn't good. Keep pressing on and into God. Trust in his perfect plan. Then, one day, you will hit that bullseye.

   So, are you in a test or trial right now? Are you still doing your best to do what's right? If not, what can you do to grow in God and do what is right?

Spiritual Dryness

    Have you ever had a time where you felt like you were just spiritually dry? I mean you know what you believe. You know God is with you. You know he's helped you through hard times. You trust him. But you just don't feel the spirit in your life the way you used to?

   That happened to me after I got married. I'm not blaming my marriage but that's just the time period where I felt it most recently. I began to wonder why I felt that way. I knew Paul had talked about how people who are married focus more on the needs of their spouse and family, but it felt like there was something more there.

   I knew how I felt, and if you've been there, you know how you felt, but what do you do when you feel that way? The first step I took was I prayed. I asked God why I was feeling this way. I was still going to church, doing devotionals, listening to the word, listening to Christian songs, and doing all the things to get fed spiritually but it wasn't working so I didn't understand. That's when I realized I had been going through a season of going through the motions.

   You know when you just stick to the same routine but don't let it change you? When you lose focus of what should have number one priority. That's what happened. I was still doing all the things, but it was becoming a checklist instead of something that was truly digging deep into me, making me a tad uncomfortable, changing, and challenging me. That's a problem. 

   We should always be growing. It just depends on where we get our nutrients from as to if we are growing toward the Son or toward Satan. Instead of going through the motions I began to stop and meditate on each thing I was doing. If I read a verse, I would pause and think about how those words impacted me. If I listened to a song, I tried to let the words penetrate my heart and connect me to the Spirit. I paused, and that's something we all need to do from time to time to ensure we are not just going through the motions. 

   So, have you gone through a season of spiritual dryness? How can you grow in God each day?

A Milkshake Story

   One day we were out and about shopping as a family. It was around the time that we were becoming peckish, so we went to Chick-fil-A to get sustenance. We ordered our food, and my siblings went to find us a place to sit. Unfortunately, there was no place to be found.

   After waiting a bit, my mother found a place to sit so she sat quick. Much to my dismay, she had sat on the booth side. After reminding her that father and her usually sit on the chair side she went to get up. As she did, her milkshake fell to the floor with a crash! 

   We all sat down a bit more subdued than we were before. The food came and our peckishness (hangriness) went away. But we did not converse with one another due to how tense the situation was. 

   As the meal was ending, my sister pulled out her phone and said, "mother, would you like another milkshake?" My brother looked at my sister, pulled out his wallet, and said "I was going to get her one." Mom half smiled but said, as any mother who was a tad perturbed would say, "I don't need one, it is fine." My sister rolled her eyes, "that's not the point. You may not need one, but do you want one?" My brother did not wait for an answer. He got up and ordered her a peppermint milkshake.

   When it arrived, mother smiled. She didn't say it, but we could all tell that that one act of giving her a milkshake made her feel loved.

   It's funny to me when I ask people, "how have you felt loved lately?" People say things like, "someone brought me a snack when I was hungry," "someone wrote me a note," or "someone listened to me." People say little things make them feel loved. Yet, when we do those things for someone, we don't think they are a big deal. But to the person receiving that thing, it is.

   Many times, we think we need to do big things to show others how much we love them. That's not the case. Little things can make a big difference. John 15:12 says, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." God is a good father who loves us. He gives us what we need. We are commanded to love as he loves. That means doing little things to show others love each day.

   So, are you showing love to others each day? If so, how? If not, how can you get better at showing others love?

 

Assuming

 This story is told with permission. Also, this is not a political post though it may seem like it at first.

   Once a friend told me a story of a time when they were having a party around the time of an election. For the party they would all have to wear crazy hats that everyone brought; but you didn't get to pick the hat you wore. It was chosen randomly, and you had to wear it all day. Then they went around the city to different places to eat and party. The friend was given a "make America great again" hat randomly. He was told he didn't actually have to wear it, but he thought he wanted to participate and that it would be fun. 

   They went out to different restaurants. People would come up to him and either welcome him and say good things about him and Trump or they would come up to him and yell at him and accuse him. At first when people randomly came up to my friend, he laughed and thought it was funny. But eventually, the angry people began to outweigh the welcoming people. And what hit my friend the most is that people wouldn't even come up to have a civilized conversation with him. They would just assume he was a Trump supporter and yell at him. 

   About halfway through the day, he began to feel disheartened. His friends could see it was impacting him. So, when people would come up to him, his friends would get in between him and them. Then they would explain that it was part of a party and for fun. Sometimes people would listen; other times they would continue to be upset. 

   These people didn't know anything about my friend. They didn't know who he was, what he believed, or where he came from. All they knew was he wore a Trump hat, so they assumed he believed in Trump and supported him. 

   Now, I'm sure this could have happened had someone worn a different political slogan hat. But the point that hurt my friend the most was that there was not even an effort for a conversation with him. No one came up to ask him what he believed, they just assumed. And all the negativities got to my friend. If he wasn't a believer and didn't have a joyful deposition, he told me he may have gone home and thought about committing suicide. 

   What has happened to us as a culture? When did what someone wears become more important than the fact that this person is a human being? Why do we choose to berate people because of who they are, what they look like, and what they believe? Whatever happened to having a conversation with someone to get to know them instead of judging them based on surface level things? Do you do these things or are you showing God's love to all no matter who they are, what they wear, and what they believe?