Just Stop

Do you ever just stop what you're doing and let yourself be swept away in the moment, swept away in the sound of His voice? That Peace calling your name, "Come dance with Me."? I don't nearly as often as I should. I get busy, I get distracted. I get tired. But sometimes I stop. Sometimes I acknowledge His persisting and I join Him in the song, in the dance. He sweeps me away, close to His heart. And He fills me with joy, with peace, with everything I didn't even know I needed. My children are so much better at this. When they hear His song, which I normally have worship music playing and lately that's been Awe by Christ Stewart, they just stop what they're doing and twirl. They just twirl and twirl. They close their eyes, they lift their hands, and the heart cry is always, "I love You, Jesus." I know this type of in-the-moment, swept away, awe takes many forms for many people. Sometimes I'm just playing the piano, practicing so my students don't over take me HA!, when suddenly I I feel that nudging, "Take My hand, come away." and I begin to play a song not of myself but a song of heaven. Sometimes I see His face in the smile of one of my children. I see that drooly baby grin and I feel His warmth overwhelm my heart. I can't help but soak in that moment and worship Him with all the trust in my heart, trust for that baby, for my family. Sometimes I'm out working in my garden and there's sweat, and muscle strain, and dirt. And as I dig deep in the earth I hear His whisper, "Go deeper, come, I have hidden treasures you could never imagine." And when I see those tiny sprouts my heart is full of hope and trust that He's not through with us yet. He's a live, and on the move.

It's in the heart of each of us to love Him. Passionately, intimately, fiercely love Him and I know it sounds cheesy to say but it's because of His great love for us. It's because He's always calling that He created us with the need to answer. And He's always speaking. I've heard many sermons about how sometimes there are periods of time God doesn't talk to us and I have to say I believe that's false. He's ALWAYS speaking. He's always calling you closer. Always. If He is the Lover of our souls how could He keep silent? If you went days, weeks, or months without talking to your spouse do you think maybe there might be something wrong? I'd like to challenge you by saying if you're not hearing His voice there's something wrong. And it's nothing to be ashamed about. It's easy to get to a place of distance with Him. So easy to look away, to be distracted, to not even realize you've started to wander off. And I don't mean just wander away in "sin" at least not by the typical definition. You can be active in church, reading your Bible daily and follow all the laws and rules that keep us on the straight and narrow but still have wandered away from the warmth of His embrace. There's temptation everywhere. I think that's why Pappa is speaking this to me today. The way to keep this from happening is to just stop. Stop what you're doing when He calls and just be with Him.

I thought I'd share a tiny bit of what this looks like for us. And don't mind the basket of laundry, or art projects on the floor. Don't mind the jiggly camera because of the curious baby. Just stop, see that life doesn't have to be perfect or put together for Him to love you and to call you and to see you and to want to be with you. Life doesn't have to be clean or orderly for you to be swept away by His love. In fact, in my experience He likes it a little messy.