Last week, on Monday morning to be exact, I wrote a ‘focus’ for the Cornerstone Bible Study that we have at our parish on Wednesday mornings. The week’s lesson was on the first Chapter of Mark. (If you have a Bible possibly take time to read this chapter before continuing…if not, no worries, it’ll all still make sense. 😉 ). The word ‘coincidence’ does not fit in my vocabulary. Though it does in my husband’s which is why I think we are divinely matched because Neal keeps me ‘grounded’. I wanted to share with you the focus I wrote BEFORE what happened that evening when Di passed away:
If you know me well then you know how I view this world in two dimensions – what we see with our eyes and what can be felt by our spirit.
Chapter one in Mark for me is putting these two dimensions into one picture. While Jesus was on earth the veil was lifted and the reality of the Spirit, angels and ‘unclean spirits’ was revealed to be reality. Over the past 2000 years since Jesus’ death that reality has now become to many a myth, one that is easily
brushed away with unbelief or worse, a need to disprove.
When I read this chapter I felt a sudden sense of personal affirmation. In taking a look at the events of Jesus bringing to ‘fullfillment’ God’s promise I see how God does this for each of us on our own personal journey.
After Jesus was baptized the SPIRIT sent him into the dessert. I find it interesting that a part of the TRINITY was said to directly SEND JESUS into the desert where he was TEMPTED. The reason being the HUMAN side of the Trinity, our beloved Jesus, needed to be SECURE with his humanity and to experience every temptation that we (his beloved) come against. He went into that desert to PREPARE and to UNDERSTAND what could make his beloved want to turn away from the love of God.
If I look back on my own journey (the one that I am still living by the way, so I can only look back so far J) I can see where there are many times the SPIRIT has brought me into a ‘desert’ of temptation and trials in order to grow in spiritual strength and learn to fully rely on God.
How often do we look back and say ‘If I knew then what I know now…’
There are so many times in my past that I thought I was ready to achieve or experience something that I knew in the depths of my heart was to be a reality for me…but I know NOW that I was NOT PREPARED at that time. And in receiving the achievement now or going through that experience now I think ‘THANK GOD IT DIDN’T HAPPEN WHEN I WANTED IT SO BADLY BACK THEN…’ , or ‘THANK GOD THIS HAPPENED NOW THAT I HAVE THESE PEOPLE AROUND ME, OR I’M STRONGER IN MY FAITH, ETC” because I wasn’t strong enough, or bold enough, or simply ready to handle the new journey the achievement or experience was bound to take me on.
This summer has been one of great transition for me and it had left me in a funk. The uncertainty of knowing exactly where God wanted me right now was something I hadn’t felt in years. When we moved here to Kingwood I knew this was what God wanted so I was content to just ‘be’ here….then two months later I met Joy and suddenly I’m asked to help with the youth, after a great deal of prayer I KNEW I was to be here at this parish helping the youth. Now 8 years later I have realized there is more to this journey that I’m not quite ‘certain’ about but I KNEW that I had to make decisions to put me in this place…except in this new place there was no certainty of what my next day’s mission would be. I didn’t like that. I’m Type A and I like to know my day planned out in a list.
Don’t get me wrong…. I am not sitting around every day looking at my watch wondering what I am to be doing. Surprisingly enough my days have been so filled with ‘unexpected’ situations that I don’t even have the time I wanted to have to write or even clean out my closet (which is much needed!). The message I’ve been receiving over and over again is to TAKE EACH MOMENT AND DO FOR ME. I have come to find that in waking up each day and saying ‘Good morning Lord, what can I do for you today?” and being able to stick to that without feeling the pressure of what tomorrow might bring that the enemy has a harder time tempting me because I examine each moment with discernment.
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Before I ended with a message from the devotional JESUS CALLING (which Di’s daughter, Catherine, happened to recommend), I was able to tell the story about what happened with Di and how I was heading out that very day to do as God was calling me to in that moment and go to be with the family.
I’ll leave you with this message from JESUS CALLING by Sarah Young:
(Dated September 2nd)
Living in independence on Me is a glorious adventure. Most people scurry around busily, trying to accomplish things through their own strength and ability. Some succeed enormously; others fail miserably. But both groups miss what life is meant to be: living and working in collaboration with Me.
When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural occurrences and “coincidences”. You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do. You accept weakness as a gift from Me, knowing that My Power plugs in most readily to consecrated weakness. You keep your plans tentative, knowing that My plans are far superior. You consciously live, move, and have your being in Me, desiring that I live in you. I in you, you in Me. This is the intimate adventure I offer you.
Blessings
Shannon
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