ENCOURAGED IN HEART

The sand was wet, and soft, and sometimes as I tried to plow through it my feet would sink, but I kept pushing along. The whole time I was having this long conversation with God. “God, I want to do what You want me to, I want to hear You, and I want to be obedient. Please help me know the path you have for me.” I talked and talked, watching the sun come up over the ocean, noticing how it seemed the reflection of the sun on the water was following me as I walked. The more I spoke to Him, the more I began to realize that our conversations are so one sided. I am so busy talking, talking, talking, that I am missing a very important part of the conversation.

Listening.

So (ironically) I talked more, and I prayed for help listening. “God please help me listen to You, really listen to You. Please help me to know that it really is You.” As I prayed for God to help me listen, I got this overwhelming feeling that He was telling me to sit down. This idea of sitting down, waiting, and resting in Him had been a theme I had come across so many times lately. I saw it in my Bible, I heard it in messages I listened to, and I kept finding it everywhere. So I replied, “Yes Lord, I want to sit and rest in you”. But no, this time it was not metaphorical.

SIT DOWN.

Much stronger now. I thought maybe I should actually sit down, literally drop down in the sand. Could He really be saying that to me? I wasn’t sure, but in the spirit of trying to be more obedient, I sat down and turned to face the ocean. And there it was, directly in front of me, out in the ocean. The gift that God had prepared for me that morning if I chose to listen to Him.

Dolphins. No, not just dolphins, leaping dolphins. Directly in front of me, bursting out of the water, their full bodies in view, provided by God for my delight. I remember actually clasping my hand over my mouth as it gaped open. Tears streamed down my cheeks. This was a gift from my adoring Father, prepared for me alone to enjoy on this beautiful and peaceful morning at the beach. And I realized, if I had kept walking, if I had kept plowing through, I would have missed it.

If interested in being a guest blogger on EIH, click on this link for details!

Lately, I’ve been feeling squeezed. You name the direction – it’s been coming…squeezing.

Yesterday, I found myself again saying, “WHY can’t this be easy?” I so want to electric slide up and hit the Easy button…

but that’s not what’s best for me.

I don’t attend the church of Staples.

When I’ve hit the easy button, I didn’t need to depend on God. Just the opposite, I felt all big and cool and patted myself on the back saying, “Good job self!” and gratitude to God was nowhere to be found.

Blech.

You know what I’m going to do about this squeezing season? Draw close to God and do exactly what God designed and gifted me to do. (Aka: be found as faithful as this crazy Jersey girl can be found). I’m going to step up to the computer, and prayerfully encourage you as I’m also encouraging myself. If you are finding yourself also in a non-easy-button-kind-of-season, join me and hit the Jesus button.

Strive with me to embrace what James 1:2-4 (Message) directs,

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Take your hands off your life, step away from the easy button, and lift them up to God. Strive with me to hit the Jesus button, which means surrender every portion of your life, back to God.

Surrendering is a lot like laundry…a never-ending task. And, if you neglect doing it, life stinks.

God reminded me that I didn’t learn how to comfort a friend that’s had a miscarriage from a textbook. No, I learned it by living through three consecutive, heart wrenching miscarriages. It was and is during the
darkest, “squeezing-est” times of life where ministries are birthed, even when babies are not.

While I don’t have the answers to my many “why’s” right now, I trust that God does.

What’s an area that you want to hit the “Easy” button on? Will you strive with me to hit the Jesus button more than the easy button?

Today on EIH, I want to do something different, fun, exciting…I want you to be my guest!

I’d love to hear what’s in your heart and invite you to be a guest blogger here on EIH. The only requirements are that your 500 words or less writing is encouraging and has something to do with faith, family, fellowship, finance, fitness, food, friendship, funnies…or your Lucy. Any email received at steph@encouragedinheart.org by 1 Sep, will be considered for a guest post.

Can’t wait to hear from your heart!