Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Coffee Talk Week 2


I’ve been a bit busy this week, you know that whole Christmas thing, well, actually, I don’t HAVE to do anything and Christmas will come but there are so many expectations that I feel like I have to meet. My WH even said that he was actually getting to the point that he dreads Christmas, not because of what it means (the celebration of the birth of our Jesus) but what it has turned into.

I’ll be honest, I have had very little time to spend with my Lord this week and I am really feeling the impact of it. Last night we had our Coffee Talk and I had been attempting to read my chapter for the past week and with frequent starts and stops. I finally was able to absorb some of it. I realize now why Satan really didn’t want me to read this particular chapter because it helped open up eyes to how to hear from God. Do you hear from God, do you recognize His still small voice?

We played a little game last night. I had asked two of my girlfriends who didn’t know each other very well to participate and they were willing (I wonder if they will do that again?). I had seen my pastor at C3 do this before but I sorta tweaked it a bit.

I blindfolded one and then set up an obstacle course. The other volunteer stood mid-way down my walkway and guided the “blind” through the path. However, the rest of us stood around screaming out opposite instructions. The one who was blindfolded was not really familiar with the person’s voice that she was supposed to be listening for and she had to really focus and concentrate to hear her voice over the screaming around her. Once she made it through my impromptu obstacle course, (water bottles and candle luminaries) she removed her blindfold. She shared how she had to really focus on the voice of the one that she was to listen to. That it was distracting and hard to concentrate with all the other noise going on around her. Do you see where I am going here? How often do we get distracted by all the voices? How does our crazy pace make it hard to hear when God calls our name?

The second chapter in “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God” talks about discerning God’s voice and how to know if what you are hearing is God’s voice. But you have to be able to quiet the noise of all the other voices around you so that you can hear His voice. I haven’t been able to do that very well this past week and the lack of time with Him has shown up in all aspects of my walk. Feelings of being overwhelmed, the disorganization, inadvertent shortened conversations (sorry Renee), and a short temper has my life feeling like it is spinning like a top and I’m just holding on. I had to stop the spinning and get on my knees. I had to shut off the music, shut down the computer, put away all the lists and turn off the phone and be quiet.

Being quiet for me is difficult (those that know me are nodding their heads right now). That was the other challenge for me from this week’s chapter. It is only logical that in order to have a relationship with anyone that yes, you talk, but it is important that you stop talking and listen. I get so excited about God and the changes He has made in my life that once the mouth starts going, it’s hard to shut it up. Well, my heavenly Father loves to hear my praise, I know that but my heavenly Father has all the answers to my questions and wants to hear my prayers. He’s just waiting. But if I come to Him in a hurry, frantic pace, rushed and inattentive, and am not willing to hush and listen, I am like a young child who runs to her father crying with a problem and then runs out before he can fix it.

I have to stop. Completely and totally stop. Take a deep breath and bring Him the needs of my heart and then I have to wait. To be quiet and listen and slow down so that He can fill me up with His love, guide me with His direction, and replenish my waning energy with His power. It’s all there, I know that, but I keep running by it full tilt, mouth on fast forward. How about we all slow down, grab a cup of decaf (cause I certainly don’t need any more stimulation) and just listen for His still small voice.

My wonderful, patient, heavenly Father,
I want to hear you, I want to know you and I want to know that I am following your instructions in every aspect of my life. Help me to turn off all the distractions and the noise in my life, and the distractions and the noise in my mind, so that my soul can receive the peace, beauty and stillness that I long for. Amen.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Be still and know :)
Merry Christmas, dear lady. Great post.

Leigh said...

Thank you my friend. You are such an amazing person and woman of God, I am truly blessed to call you friend.

Unknown said...

Thanks Leigh, I have been trying to listen more myself lately and find that peace that surpasses all our understanding. Luv u.