I can hear the rush of the water long before I feel it's mist upon my face. It catches my attention and makes me stop to listen.
It is a beautiful sound.
The sound of a flowing river. A strong rushing current of cool, refreshing waters. Where is it coming from? Where does it lead? The sound draws me. It is both peaceful and invigorating. I long to stand before it and see it's power, feel it's cleansing coolness on my aching soul.
It is a beautiful sound.
The word Son, in Latin, means sound.
Jesus is the Son of God.
He is the sound of His voice.
Do you hear Him calling out to you? Have you stopped to listen?
We moved again. Yes, again. Our second home since we came back to California. This was our 11th move and 6th new location in 14 years of marriage. I told my husband if he wants to move again, he is going without me.
No, I wasn't serious. (Well maybe partially serious, at the time, speaking from exhaustion.)
But somehow I know that if God chooses to lead my husband again to another career change, another return to school, another promotion, another calling... Well, where God leads I will follow. (But please don't tell my husband that!) ;)
It seriously makes me wonder about the weariness Sarah must have felt now and then. "Really Abraham? Again? Are you SURE this is from God? OK, I'll start packing." With 6 of our moves we've left behind people we love. It's tough to say good bye and have to start all over again... getting settled in a new home, finding our way around a new location, finding a church home, reaching out to new friends, connecting. Yet with each move God has faithfully surrounded us with wonderful new friends and family, while drawing us and connecting us closer to Him through the journey.
...Connection is important.
You know what else we've left behind?... Stuff. A lot of stuff, boxed up and delivered to the local Goodwills. It amazes me how quickly we accumulate stuff we don't need. It's refreshing to clean things out and start again with only the things that are most important. So in this sense, moving is good. We need the chance to let go of the useless items gathering dust in the corners of dark spaces.
...Change is good.
Sometimes I think we need to move more often... spiritually. When we find ourselves living in complacency and an accumulation of things we don't need are filling up our hearts. When we need to connect with God afresh. Sometimes it's tough to seek out that fresh connection with the Lord. But He is always faithful to meet us. Sometimes it is hard to let go of the things we've accumulated, but He is always faithful to fill the voids and meet our needs and show us what is most important.
Do you need a fresh start? ...Change is good. Connection is important. What moves you?
I tend to be a reader more than a writer, a student more than a teacher. Sometimes I wonder at how I could possibly be called to this role of "teacher" to my children. I know I must be learning just as much as they are. Or more. Really.
I am amazed by how much there is yet to learn, scattered throughout these books we call curriculum. And more than just textbooks and workbooks, I am encapsulated by so many incredible stories. Fiction or Non. In books or life. Stories of growth and experience, struggle and accomplishment, humility and bravery, and...
THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD.
I'm engrossed as we read together and humbled by the lessons and insights... for ME, the "teacher". The Lord has had me sitting at His feet in awe the last few months, taking a break from writing and sharing, as He once again shows me how very little I know, how incapable I am of holding any position of "teacher" apart from His divine equipping. Apart from His Spirit I have nothing to offer... nothing to offer the precious children eagerly anticipating another lesson, nothing to offer my friends anxiously looking for encouragement... nothing to offer you as you peruse another blog seeking to grow and connect.
Yet somehow I still feel the pull to write, the desire to teach, the draw to encourage with the truth of God's Word, by His grace and through His Spirit. I continue to bubble over with joy at the thought of sharing the great things God has given me, however small the offering may be. Choosing again to seek, alongside you, and share His treasures as they are found. God willing.
Not because I am wealthy with information or rich with ability, but because I am in love.
