Forgetting about the right time

I am a very goal oriented person. If I have a task ahead of me, set out a deadline and a path to it- I am generally quite productive. If I know there is some nebulous item looming in the tomorrow land, I will rarely get it started forget about finishing it.

But that is changing - I hope. I am trying to discard the old plan oriented/procrastinator self who waits for the right time for a new model. The one that is more concerned about right NOW not a right time. It is a hard part of myself to morph.

God is reminding me to look at right now - what is going on right now that I need to be aware of? At the same time, seeing down the road keeps me from drowning in the right nowness of the day. There is a fine balance to this mindfulness.

This picture reminds me of the right now. There have been times when I would have waited until the entire tree was in bloom. I have found the beginning reveals the details. We never see the details of the bud and the vast effort it takes to bloom when we see the whole tree. Waiting to see the beauty, we miss the real beauty. The journey and revelations along the way.

I am praying my eyes will stay focused on today and my spirit on eternity. Perhaps, that is the only way to make it while travelling from the now to the not yet.

Should Christians be Looking for Anything?

Nope.

We seriously limit God when we look for things from him. And, thankfully, we don't get what we deserve which would be a long miserable eternity. Fortunately, through a Life in Christ, we can expect a wonderful ending to our very short earthbound story.

Here on earth though we tend to look for God to do things and miss so much. If we would just let go of our grip on the details of life and EXPECT God to show up - our blessings would overflow.

The words look and expect are significant to me because I tend to spend a large chunk of time "looking" for stuff. I believe even if I did put something back where I got it, it would mysteriously move to another place to irritate me. Couple that with a natural predisposition to be headed mentally somewhere before I have reached my physical destination (i.e. Car keys end up on kitchen table not bedroom dresser), I am forever trying to find stuff.

Some days it drives me nuts. Some days I am reminded that no matter how many times I get lost on my way to my Father's house, he can and will reach down and bring me back to him. Fortunately, I am always on the Big Guy's GPS!

Expecting is very different from looking. When we EXPECT something, we have a generalized anticipation. We can expect to receive a gift. We can expect company to be at our home at a certain time. Do we expect God to be where we need him? Do we expect Him to move, or do we look for a specific sign? indication? movement to define who He is?

Again, I would say that looking for God is not what we need to practice. Stand back, open your hands and arms and ask God to BringIt On! Whatever it is - because He always has your best interest at heart and he always deliberates before he moves. Expect God to show up and see where He does!

Time to Go

There is a time and a season for all.

It is about time to leave my hiding place and join the world again.

I have been so saturated in- well, I can't really describe what I have been saturated in- it just washes over me, removes the things that slow me down and fills me again.

Everytime I leave here, I leave with a little more resolve to draw closer to God.

That probably is why he allows me to keep coming back.
Because it always brings me back to him.

Holy, holy, holy!
Great is the Lord God Almighty!

I love hanging out with the Big Guy.

See ya soon
From Siesta Key

Hanging with the Pelicans!

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

I am without excuse.

As I sit on the beautiful shores of Siesta Key, I am convicted, pierced, and deeply aware of the fact I am without excuse.

I have seen the majesty of God's creation.

Only an Amazing creator could bring together the green of the water, the reflection of the sun and a blue I have no words to describe.

None.

Every time I come here, I think it will be the same as the last time.
Never is it anywhere near the same.

Sitting on the white sand, under my awning, I sit and and dodge as my son and a new friend play Frisbee. He will never know the pleasure I get from watching him enjoy the sand and surf as much as his momma does.

When I glance on the porch, I see my other passionate son scribbling his thoughts onto paper. Like his mother, the simple vast beauty brings out the poet in him and connects his heart with his mind and his hand. Again, his love of this place and the effect it has on his heart is so beautiful to me.

My world is just a few miles down the road and I am blessed to be able to escape the "day - to - dayness" of life and just "be". I don't have to run after God here; he waits quietly to meet me. I don't have to sort through the demands of my day. I just have to figure where I am going to sit and listen to the voice of the One who created this beautiful place.

I just have to laugh.

I just have to love.

To some, this place may seem like a fantasy place. But to me, this is where reality exists. This is where I get back to the basics of living in real time and right now and with my Great God.

This small stretch of sand is where I remember in the beginning God hovered over the waters. If the waters looked like this, I am shocked he added land. Then again, the contrast of the white and the green and the blue is what makes it not just beautiful, but amazing and peaceful.

I have to remember that - I have to keep in mind it is the contrasts of life which give it dimension and depth and meaning.

If there were no sand, or jetties, where would the pelicans sit? Where would I sit and soak in all God has created?

See you soon,
For now - I am sitting with the pelicans taking in the work of the Creator.

It all works together - for the good of my soul.


wandering and wondering