January 12, 2015

For When We Need To Really See (and not necessarily Do!)


We are now a full week in to this shiny New Year.

Maybe you, like me, got caught up in a bit of the bossy return of all the things... all those To Do Lists pushing you around and making you feel like you are behind already.

Maybe you, like me, felt all those hopeful, wonder-filled New Dreams and Goals and Wishful Longings start to lose their sheen... Just a little.

Maybe we were both fighting off a bit of cynicism and trying to remember to take every defeated,-nothing-ever-changes thought -- every I-have-GOT-to-learn-the-lesson-this-time-around-the-mountain thought captive!

We had some great days... you and me. But then maybe we had some not so on track days, too. Even if we pushed through and stuck with it all, the joy in the journey was at least fading a bit, for sure!

Thus comes the unfolding of the real brand New Year! Right?



Here's my deal... I have this thing


When I start to feel that I am merely going through the motions of something, it just makes me want to quit.  Maybe eat some chocolate... marathon something mindless on Netflix... or push through and prove (mostly) myself wrong!  I feel this call to be real and authentic and present in all I do.  I am who I am and one of the glorious gifts of being in my 40s is I have learned to not really care if that is alright with everyone or not. With me, you get what you see. So when I feel like I am just sort of calling it in... well, no thank you Ma'am! (And yes, I was listening to Boo Mama's podcast this morning. Why do you ask?)

Instead of quitting all together, or turning on the TV,
I tuned my heart to His Voice and I asked Him,
"What would like to show me today, Lord?
What do you want me to look for?"
Immediately, He answered! (That is not always the case, by the way!)  

I sensed His Presence rush in and it was like His Grace was crashing into me... I felt a pulling of my soul like the tide rolling in and heading back out... and I knew God was reminding me of my OneWord... awakening me to Wonder!

I had barely finished my sentence when I heard Him whisper,
"Things are not always as they seem. 
Look Deeper... Slower... Really SEE!"
He went on to say, "Just as you awoke to Snow, and yet - there is no snow, --there seems to be no evidence of snow, but you know that it was there! You had eyes to see it, even if just for a moment!"

"See beyond the surface... find Me hiding, shifting, working beneath what can be seen on the outside! Awaken to Wonder!"

It was like He was saying, 
   "For real... Speak Life. Be Love. and Shine On."

I wrote about it last week, how lately as we talk about Welcome, we have felt a pull to not just invite others in, but to also take this Welcoming spirit out and about as we go.

So that became my prayer... Lord, awaken me to Wonder and help me to be a carrier of your Welcoming spirit wherever I go.  Give me eyes to see - to really see... For eyes of understanding tend to spill out 'love' and 'home', often times without even speaking a word.

I open up my Bible, still searching out Wonder and I stumbled upon Psalm 65 in The MessageI read it again slow and close my eyes... 

I picture myself standing at water's edge, as a gentle warm breeze blows ocean air up and around and it swirls all over me.

I can't see Him, but oh how I see Him!
"Earth Tamer, Ocean Pourer. 
    Mountain Maker, Hill Dresser..."
I feel Him all around and I breathe Him in!

The temptation is to hold my breath... 
to keep Him in...
To fill my lungs and try to push Him down... 
To swallow Gulps of God.

But Always, He was meant to be let out!


A Glorious Exhale...
adding to the Wind of the Spirit already at work... letting Him go, He swirls all around.  I can feel Him in the breeze, brushing through my hair, caressing my hands and feet...


The water laps at my toes, and I can feel the invitation to join in the dance... to come and worship!

Ah yes, this!  Can you feel it? 

This invitation to join the dance... to really see what is happening not just on the surface, but to look for how He is working underneath and all around, without the pressure of always having to LEARN something or DO something!  It's an invitation to see His hand... to search out His heart!

As I was mid-way through this post, I read THIS by Emily Freeman... The Spiritual Discipline of Learning Nothing.  In it, she says: 
"Today I’ll practice walking into the great mystery of God. I will practice encountering Jesus as a person and not a character. I will live this day as a daughter first and allow the student to tag along behind.
Today I’ll grieve the losses, laugh at the jokes, sit in the silence, and move through the routines. I’ll keep my eyes open for Christ’s presence rather than trying to figure out his plan."

Yes... this is the invitation!
I'm in... how about you?



Linking up with these lovely ladies:

The Community over at Unforced Rhythms...

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

22 comments :

  1. Loved this post! God really is that Spirit who blows in and caresses our hands and feets and reminds us that God does hear us. I blogged about the Haiti earthquake anniversary and Psalm 30 today. "Weeping may come for the night but joy comes with the morning." One of my fave lines from your post today was from that Emily Freeman piece "Today I’ll grieve the losses, laugh at the jokes, sit in the silence, and move through the routines. I’ll keep my eyes open for Christ’s presence rather than trying to figure out his plan." Thanks friend!

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    1. I know, right? Did you click through and read her whole piece! Honestly - I was halfway done with this and fought off the temptation to just write, "oh nevermind... just go read this!" LOL! It's so good!

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  2. It's incredible when He answers us...right when we ask! (Hmmm how many times to we miss out when we don't ask?) And goodness, have we only been in this new year for just over a week? It seems like AGES ago when the new year rang in! Must not lose sight of the WONDER of God and the HOPE I have in Him (my #oneword365) in the busyness of the new year.

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    1. Jen - I always wonder that when He seems so eager to answer! What am I missing when I simply forget to ask? Praying Wonder and Hope show up for us both this year, my friend!

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  3. So, I started off your post kinda mad at you for stating like the OBVIOUS (insert a huge smile here though) but ended in His presence. What a great confidence-building post! I love how you are so clearly honest and share openly (I've always admired that about your writing!).

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    1. :) Well, my friend, I am so glad you stuck with me to the end! So thankful for you and your encouragement to keep on keeping on... I have found that is takes so much LESS effort to be real than it does to appear to be holding it all together! And then there is the truth that not a one of us is actually holding it all together! If we are willing to be honest and open, we welcome in authenticity and build relationships!

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  4. Beautiful encouragement, Karrilee. Having lived near the ocean several years, your post took me back to delightful places while drawing me nearer to the very One who made them. Loved it!

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    1. Aaah to live near the ocean!!! I am so glad that this took you back... I, a desert dweller in real life, long for and love to escape to the coast... it's where I am constantly reminded of how amazing He is! So glad you stopped by!

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  5. Awaken to wonder! Love it. For me, it's usually awaken to coffee and try to stay awake, but them I see my daughter running around the house getting ready for another day at school and I'm thinking "That's it. She's 'awakening to wonder' every day." No wonder Jesus said to come to the Kingdom as a child. Kids get it. We forget to easily. Glad to see you here, and glad Kelly invited me to join in. God bless!

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    1. LOL... well, David - you know me and coffee - we are tight! ;) I tend to find wonder in a great first cup of coffee and then it just gets clearer and clearer as the day unfolds! Yes - God knew what He was saying when He told us to become like a child! The thing that I LOVE about Wonder is that when it is genuine, it is also contagious! So glad you stopped by and joined in! (Will I see you at Faith and Culture again this year?)

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  6. Oh, beautiful Karrilee! I'm in, too! This is a great invitation for me... challenging and encouraging. I love this part: "This invitation to join the dance... to really see what is happening not just on the surface, but to look for how He is working underneath and all around..." Amen! Thank you~

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    1. Isn't that always the invitation? To lean in and see with eyes that go beyond the surface of any given situation? He is so wanting to show us that there is always Hope and He is always at work! Bless you, friend! It's always a pleasure to have you stop by!

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  7. "I will live this day as a daughter first and allow the student to tag along behind." Wonderful quote and a beautifully written post friend. Thanks for the invitation. I think I will accept :) ~visiting from Testimony Tuesday and #raralinkup

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    1. That Emily Freeman... she nails it every time! I'm glad you are accepting the invitation! That means we are joining the dance together, my friend!

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  8. I am "all in." And, scattering rose petals down our path of WONDER! Thanks, Karrilee!

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    1. I'm All In too... and loving those lovely paths of Wonder!

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  9. You are bringing wonder alive! You are bringing us right into your wonder. I just love the voyage that the Lord is bringing you on. It is a pleasure to read! Cheering you on big time!

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    1. Is that not the best thing about Wonder? --That it's contagious and just keeps building and building? So happy to have you stop by and join in the dance!

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  10. I love Boo Mama's podcast !!! I also love your discovery and sharing of wonder. Love you !!!

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    1. Oh Sophie and Melanie together = THE BEST!!!
      Love you right back, my friend! xoxo

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  11. I'm in, Karrilee! I want those moments too when I relax enough to realize this is not just a day, but a significant day because the Holy Spirit is here speaking through so much around me whether I think it's all significant or not!

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    1. Amen! He is always speaking... always wooing.. always in hot pursuit! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

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