Today, I wanted to write a blog about hair and tell you all about my “bad hair day” bushes that my dear friend, Ruth Blue, gave to us. I wanted to make you laugh with my blue hair.
I wanted to show you my aging bad-hair-day sunflowers in the back yard and talk about the challenges of growing older.
I wanted to share my Camper stories, God-moments, and words of encouragement.
I wanted to blog about the challenges of dealing with narcissism, entitlement issues, and inflating self to larger-than-life.
I wanted to write about the challenges of those who enable narcissists and have a deflated sense of self and do what narcissists want.
Then God captured my attention and my heart and gently face-planted me into a prayer posture of being quiet and being with Jesus. I soon discovered that it’s not about me and what I want. It’s all about Jesus and what Jesus wants.
When I practiced being still with God today, here’s what God taught me. “Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the LORD” (Proverbs 20:12). “How can we understand the road we travel? It is the LORD who directs our steps” (Proverbs 20:24). “The LORD’s searchlight penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive” (Proverbs 20:27). “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases. People may think they are doing what is right, but the LORD examines the heart. The LORD is more pleased when we do what is just and right than when we give him sacrifices” (Proverbs 21:1-3).
Words like “yield” and “listen” and “surrender” began bubbling to the surface. “Pride” and “storytelling” and “attention-seeking” and “comfort-seeking” were the scum on the top that had to be confessed and repented of as I sat with Jesus. I realized that I must decrease for God to increase. To love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, I must surrender all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my thinking, and all of my strength for God to inhabit and to use each and every part of me according to His design and plan for me. I must stop making it about what I want, what I feel, or what I do. Then I can be still and know that He is God. I can just be and not have to think, say, or do. I can just sit with Jesus for as long as He’d like for me to sit and to not feel any pressure to think, say, or do anything.
The pathway to humbly following and becoming more like Jesus should be easier. Just come and follow Me. But the first step is denying myself—all of myself and all of what other people think, say, and tell me to do. The second step is taking up my cross—which always involves pain and suffering. The third step is following Jesus instead of trying to lead or control the process or the destination. I must simply trust and put my faith in Jesus.
Lord, help me to be with you instead of being distracted.
Help me to turn off my brain and really hear You.
Help me to stop thinking and analyzing and controlling and just be held.
Help me to receive You and all that You want to give me and show me.
Forgive me for making it all about me.
Create in me a clean heart and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Please help me to want You, know You, love You, and follow You with all of my heart.
This is so true of me too many days Glenn. Quieting myself to be with Jesus does not come naturally but spending time with Him changes my whole day, perspective and attitude. All 3 steps are impossible without Jesus leading and to many days I chose to lead instead of letting Him. Thank you for you gentle reminder and conviction as you are always good at sharing God’s truth.
Thank you friend, Cindy
When I was in seminary, one of my wise teachers gave me the message that the best thing 2 teach others is what God is teaching you. Tx 4 your dive bomb family visit, 4 being Jesus-with-veggies-on friends all summer long, n’ 4 your words of encouragement, my friend.
Hi! I am so glad for reading Be. Be is underlined(only i cannot remember how to do it on computer.) I think more about Do than Be. Yet, I feel in my spirit God is more interested in my Being as much or more than my Doing. I am learning it is o.k. to just be.”Be still and know that I am God,” comes to my mind, and that is a comforting thought.
This weeks writing speaks volumes–thanks for the references you quoted.
By the way, you look pretty good with blue hair, but my advice is to keep “thatlook” for special occasions—-not every day. Promise?