The other night, a couple of my friends and I were having a conversation about God. God conversations are on my list of favorites. The details of the conversation are many. But that night I sat on the floor and listened to my two friends go back and forth on their feelings and knowledge of God and while I wanted to actively participate in the conversation, I found myself falling silent, listening to them, to my own thoughts, to God. Where I wanted to speak, God kept me silent, wanting me to just sit and listen. I wasn’t there to learn, but He taught me a lot that night.
During the discussion, my friend said “God speaks to different people in different ways.” I have always known this, most people do. He went on to say “God made us all different, so the way He speaks to you may be different than the way He speaks to me.” It made me wonder, do I know the ways God speaks to me? Can I recognize His soft whispers, His gentle nudges? Am I sensitive to His voice, or is it unfamiliar to me? I began to think of the times I knew God was speaking to me. It was never through an audible booming “THIS IS THE LORD YOUR GOD” voice. As I have said before somewhere in this blog, a lot of the times I know God is trying to tell me something when a specific word or common theme is brought up over and over again, in different conversations, sermons, etc. So I was quick to come to that conclusion. But that couldn’t be the only way…
[We as humans don’t limit ourselves to only one way of communication. We never have, and as time goes on, we only develop more ways to communicate. We can use written letters, emails, texting, social media, phone calls, meeting up over coffee. Usually in the beginning stages of friendship with someone, your lines of communication are limited, these days, usually through Facebook or an occasional text. As a relationship and a bond begins to form, communication becomes more frequent, and different means of connecting are used, be it phone calls, frequent texts, or hanging out. The closer we become, the more comfortable we are with communicating, the more frequent we connect and the more familiar we become with the other persons forms of communication. So if we as humans don’t limit ourselves in communication with one another, why should we think that God would be any different.]
…And then, there it was. The conversation went on, and as it did, my friend said something else. “Find your passion. God often times speaks to us when we are partaking in something we are passionate about, doing something we enjoy.”
I am a very strong believer in finding your passion in life, living out that passion, practicing it, nurturing it, growing it. When I am doing something I am passionate about, I find so much inner peace. I feel the joy within me overflowing and pouring out of me. Everyone should feel that. Everyone should squeeze out every ounce of pure bliss and ecstasy that is found in things we are passionate for. I’ve always felt like I was just a passionate person, that it’s just the way that I am… But once my friend said that, I realized it’s not because “that’s just the way I am,” but it’s because when I am doing the things I feel I was made to do, I feel closest to God. It may not be that I have an epic “God moment” every time that I am singing, or every time I am sitting on the floor playing with the Loper children or taking Jaxon to the park. I may not have walked away from every high school performance feeling like I had experienced God in some indescribable, majestic way. Sometimes it’s just the simple fact that, in those moments I feel like I am becoming one with my true self; the shell of who I am, the flesh of who I am and the true spirit of who I am are connecting. It’s the fact that, when I do these things, when I act out passions of my heart, that God has given me, I am able to better understand and connect with the heart of God and His passionate love for me.
I think it’s safe to say that, while God doesn’t always communicate with everyone in the same way, He does want to connect with each of us in multiple ways. He wants those lines of communication to be many; we just have to be willing to make ourselves more available to those different lines. Whether it’s taking more time to sit in silence and wait on His voice, or accepting the fact that the talking donkey seems quite wise; whether its paying more attention to that little conscience guiding us, stopping to acknowledge the voice coming from that burning bush, or if it’s to discover passion and live in it daily. Hearing Gods voice and being sensitive to His spirit takes both faith and practice. We need to have the faith to push past our comfort zones and take the time to practice listening for Him.
That night on the floor, listening to my friends, I realized how often I hear God, feel Him, and connect with Him, even in the times where I am not consciously trying or aware of it. I also realized of how much more I need to develop those lines of communication, and a true Ear of Samuel to hear the voice of my Savior. I want to be able to hear God in every way possible, so I don’t miss a single word He has for me. Because when the Creator of the universe is speaking, I need to fall silent and listen attentively.
...take time to discover what it is that makes your heart feel...
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