I am sitting on my deck watching the early morning light unfurl the blossoms of my water lilies. Interestingly, at night, these same blooms are clenched tight like a fist, which leads me to think about the light in our lives and how we react to it. As I sit here enjoying my cup of coffee, one of my golden retrievers, Belle, came up and laid her head in my lap, allowing me to affectionately rub behind her ears for a few minutes, before she walked away seemingly content for that moment.
So, what do the two have in common? This might be a stretch for some to understand, but I’ll give it a whirl. In my view, we represent the light of God to those around us (now our pets might not understand that, but our friends do)! The attention we show to one another might be the only source of a light they react to, thus allowing themselves, like the blossom, to unfurl during the day.
If someone you liked, and trusted walked up to you and handed you a gift, would you turn them away? Friendship is a gift too, but one taken for granted all too often and by that I mean, in our busy lives, we often need the time to unfurl, but because of our schedules, we are just too tired to expose ourselves to light. When light is absent from us, we stay locked in that “fist” and the stress and tension build up.
God is the source of that light and whether or not we want to acknowledge that, we all have a sense of when we need something different than what is seemingly absent from our lives. We may not know what it is we are seeking, and we try numerous avenues to try and figure it out, all the while it is right there in front of us.
The trusting nature of my dog allowed her to sense what she needed and she came right up to me allowing me the opportunity to meet her need. My love ones know how to reach me and I have reached out on many occasions when I have felt their need, but they didn’t recognize it and in a manner of speaking rejected my offer.
I had a friend reach out earlier this week, asking for a prayer of protection as she felt darkness looming around her. Her work schedule is above and beyond what most would find typical, yes I lifted her up in prayer and her comment back to me, was what a difference the past two days have been. No, I don’t have special powers, but God does and I have a feeling that in her request to me, she was able to feel God’s loving hand reach out to her. But here’s the thing, my prayer and what I hope is God’s solution is not for a temporary remedy, but one where this darkness she was feeling from her impossible workload, be one where a real change can take place. She will only be effective in her position if she is able to produce and if the demands are too high, one will only spin in circles trying to put out fires, rather than accomplishing anything of purpose! But kudos to her for asking for help, this is precisely what I feel God asks each one of us to do! But do we? I'm the one of the praying end of this request, and unfortunately I have to admit, that I don't ask for prayer on my behalf.....on others behalf, I'm right there, but on my behalf, while they are needed, I'm either too proud to ask or feel too insignificant to bother anyone with the request. And that my friends is the essence of what many of us feel!
We need to “yield ourselves to the moving of the Spirit in our hearts and minister as “I” arrange your contacts, without looking around to make your own choices.” “I” meaning God! Sometimes we need to offer up what has been termed “split second” prayers that put us in touch with His Presence and it is as simple as saying “Help me.” “Don’t worry about what is around the next bend. Just concentrate on enjoying My Presence and staying in step with Me.”
There’s that trusting nature I’m referring to. In a few months, I will have had my CNA license a year. I have not found the job I was hoping for – I want to work on a cancer floor or in Hospice and consequently I feel like I’ve failed in my purpose, so when reading the last paragraph this morning it came to my attention that it isn’t about my purpose, but His. If my passion of care-giving is not to materialize, then my second passion would be writing not for my glory, but His. This is a journey that I am on and I don’t try to paint the picture that I’ve got it altogether, I’m learning along the way as well! I’ve worried far too long about what is around the bend, even as recently as this morning!
Like Belle, I need to go to my Master, laying my cares in His hands and allowing for His affection to reach out and touch me. I hope I will start recognizing this, because His Light is available for me each and every day, I may just be looking in the wrong direction or too prideful to ask for the help I need!
Looking up!
Barb
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