Five Minute Friday - STAY

It's FRIDAY!!!  Literally... it is Friday morning and for the first time in more than a month, I somehow COMPLETELY forgot about the online party that is #FMFParty on Twitter every Thursday evening... (I did manage a Thursday night without Nutella though, somehow?  Odd!?)  I woke up this morning to read a few of my favorite bloggers and realized I missed the party... but better late than never - so here I am!

Five Minute Fridays are hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  It is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write off of a prompt that Lisa posts at one minute past midnight Friday morning  (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

So - here goes:
Five Minute Friday - STAY

{GO}

"Stay"  I hear Him whisper as I am rustling through papers and notebooks, looking for an old post written years ago! {sigh} I had on my plate a project that when I got it, it was already late.  No pressure!  I am still just learning how to step into the pieces of me, and stand tall in the callings I have. I am a Writer... I am a Photographer... I am an Artist.  (This is my mantra I keep repeating over and over!) You see - it took me years to step into who I am... who He created me to BE.  I grew comfortable in the Staying, in the Being.  I could boldly claim that I am a Mom, a Wife, a Sister, a Friend... I take these roles seriously and want to do them well.  But these other things, these 'hobbies', these things I am passionate about - those are roles for the 'professionals', right?

So my plan was to sit and stay... to soak in His Presence and get His guidance for this piece I was late in accepting and needed to complete it days before I was asked.  The worship is on... I am sitting, waiting, when in restlessness, I go searching for inspiration elsewhere. Surely He knows... He KNOWS my time frame, and He is the One who reminded me about that old blog post and maybe if I can find it, and reread it again, something will stir and I will have direction and He can anoint and enable these amateur hands to paint something... anything... that will --- "Stay" He whispers again!

So I breathe Him in... lay back, close my eyes, and sit quietly... slowing my breath and my stress and my thoughts as He clears my mind and grabs my focus. In a flash I see it! I can really SEE it in my minds eye now... but that is not even a hint of what I was planning on doing!  I stay longer... relaxed now... feeling His arms around me and His heart is for me and He releases me to action once again.

I do reread that post... it is good... it helps to remind me of WHY I am doing this anyway... and I paint.and I love what we have made!

{STOP}

Don't you just love when you honestly slow down enough to remember that every thing you do - you are partnering with Him! If you invite Him in - He will paint with you, and dance, and do the dishes, and fold the towels... He is ever present and always here... always whispering, "Stay!"


It's Friday... click here to read, and then find your voice and join the crowd!


~Karrilee~