Friday, December 19, 2008

Feeling God Actively in Your Life



I've always enjoyed sitting outside on summer nights; listening to the orchestra of nature's noises, feeling the breeze on my skin, trying to connect with my Creator. Do you ever notice how some times you FEEL God as you live life, and other times you know He's there, but you don't involvingly detect his presence?

When we lived in our previous house within the city limits, you could catch my husband and I out many nights, sitting on our driveway to watch our children play and the neighbors out on walks. Most of the times when we sat, we could expect friendly faces to slowly trickle over to join us. We'd offer drinks, lawn chairs, toys for their kids, anything to make them more comfortable, as good hosts would. Our neighbors joked about our driveway being the "hot hangout" of the neighborhood...... it made us feel good in a way that only genuine "people companionship" can make you feel. And as much as I loved all the attention and connections we had in our other neighborhood, I never really had time to sit and think like I do when we sit outside our new house out in the country. Our nearest neighbor is yards away, and you don't have to strain to enjoy nature's noises.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved our friends and the talk we made....but sometimes we need to take an extra step towards God, because He's left standing as a "watcher". Let me try to illustrate with an example. Each morning, after I let our chickens out of their coop, I can time it almost perfectly down to being about a minute off as to when our chickens walk past our front sun room window. Our 3 girls will leap up to the window seat, all the while shrieking and squealing "Look, Mama, the chickens! They're out and here they come", or else some other similar modified version of that. The chickens have absolutely no idea that they're being watched, much less "oohed" and "awed" over as if they're celebrities of some sort. They peck here and there, look around and lead pretty simple lives. But yet to our 3 girls, they are more entertaining than Sesame Street or Fisher Price toys. Why? I imagine it's because of their pride in knowing that the chickens are ours, that we named them, that we look out for them, and that they are living and breathing beings with feelings and preferences that they can relate to.



Now picture being the Maker of them, and waiting for them to acknowledge you and to be invited into their lives. I'm not saying that our chickens can do those things, but I am saying that God waits at a window, "oohing" and "awing" over every little move we make towards Him. The more we let Him in, the more involved He will be, and the more we will be blessed in His companionship.

Now, we didn't need to move to the country to "feel God", but sometimes it's nice to just sit without telephones ringing, TV watching, friends over, computer chatting, and other "people companionship" that makes us feel good. Go away from it all and be the one to initate time with God before He has to ask for it. He will do whatever it takes to draw you closer, so why not be the first to make a step towards Him!
Be a God-Chaser this approaching Christmas season,
Snack-N-Soul sister

3 comments:

  1. What a wonderful way to look at it! I need to be reminded of God's watchful eye and how he just can't wait to spend time with us.

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  2. Thanks for stopping by Jodi! I appreciate your input and look forward to hearing your feedback on future BLOGS!

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  3. You have such a deep soul, Hayley! Thank you for sharing your insights, and Merry Christmas.

    Misty

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