April 23, 2015

Where Can I Go, Lord? AKA - You Cannot Hide... a Five Minute Friday post

I can't stop saying it - but it's so true! This Five Minute Friday Community is simply the best! We gather and uplift and encourage, we laugh and we cry together, we pray and we tease, we talk about food, and family, (& chocolate - which everyone knows is in its' own category!)... It doesn't matter what our week has been like up until now, but on Thursday nights - it always gets better! (We'd love to have you join us!)

{I can't say it enough, really - I love my tribe! The Gathering that happens on Twitter on Thursday nights and then flashmob writes out their hearts and hits publish all over the interwebs on Thursday and Friday (and sometimes on Tuesdays!) But, I know... I'm like a broken record here, stuck on repeat! 
However today I am thinking of a different community. Let's just get started.}

This is Five Minute Friday and our Word Prompt for the day is: HIDE

{GO}


"Where can I go, that You won't find me?"

So here's the deal with me: you know I just tell it like it is. 
I'm nothing if I'm not keepin' it real, y'all! 

Maybe you have asked this question, too.  Maybe it was a way to reassure your soul that truly He was there all along. He was...He is! Don't worry. This isn't going to turn on you and get weird.

But I have to be honest... lately, because -you know, pressure! - when I've asked that question, it hasn't always been seeking comfort in knowing He is here, as much as it has been seeking a little breaky from all of His pushing.


When God asks you to lean in and give up and take risks and let go of your (perceived) Comfort Zone... what it can often feel like is a lot of pressure. It can feel like I would just like a minute to escape it and, I don't know, marathon a Netflix show and just breathe. Maybe have some coffee, for the love.  

But none of those things are an option! He gave me a slow restful season - and I said it myself that I should be enjoying it because it surely meant that whatever was next was going to  be fast and furious and oh my goodness, our feet are firmly planting where He is leading us, but our heads and hearts are still spinning about a bit!

No, there is no hiding from God. But the good news is that there is no God hiding from us, either! 

Oh sometimes it may feel like that. If it hasn't yet... hold on, it will.

Sometimes God gets quiet... (Hello, Summer of Silence!) but God, much like Bob, is never gone! Oh you may think H/he's gone, but he's never gone!

{STOP}

I know, you guys? I don't know what is wrong with my brain tonight? I blame the lack of coffee... or #SleepTweeting!  

Here - we'll end with a Scripture, that should help...

"Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; 
night and day, darkness and light,
they’re all the same to you." Ps 139:7-12 The Message

Even when/if I am the one who is wanting to hide, in all of His love, He will give me (a tiny little bit of) space but He always knows exactly where I am! 

This song (or entire CD) is on repeat lately here... it's reminding me that whether I feel Him or not... whether I want to hide, or question where He is... no matter what, He is near.





I love the #fmfparty Community that gathers on Twitter and all across the Internet on Thursday nights and on Fridays... on into the next week, where we encourage and uplift... where we share prayer requests and praise reports... where we talk food and friends and we find support and kindred hearts and we are reminded that life is good and God is good and we are not alone... and then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts and our fingers do the talking tapping and we hit publish before we can second guess... we just let Him flow!   Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "HIDE"


Oh ...the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays have been hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  This week we start gathering over at Kate Motaung's.  FMF 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 using a prompt that Lisa posts at 10pm Thursday night (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

34 comments :

  1. Oh dear friend! I so know what you mean. Sometimes I just want him to slow down too. In those moments, I have a really hard time hearing "Be still and know that I am God!" How can I be still when he's not still either? That Psalm is so good. I often love how the Message translates verses. And Yep God may seem like he's gone but he's NEVER gone. "I will never leave you or forsake you." Thanks for always being real friend!

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    1. With my head spinning - partly because --so fast, and partly because we are just not sure how to do what we are jumping into (which I suspect is His favorite part!) I had to laugh when He whispered, "Maybe go back and read your 31 Days of Rest series!" Yeah... He's hysterical like that! (And smart... turns out was just what I needed!) Love you, friend!

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  2. That Psalm is so special to me. It comforted me during such a tough time when my mom was in the hospital. I love, love, love knowing that there isn't a place we can go without Him being there with us.

    You are so right. We do have to take stock and enjoy the seasons of life we find ourselves in. Enjoy the crazy, comfort zone growing times because they sometimes can pass quickly. And enjoy the quiet times of rest He provides because, He knows we need them.

    Bless you!

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    1. Amen... so glad that the psalm spoke to you! His word always reaches out, right? Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  3. I love that Psalm and fully understand the sense of pressure and the feeling of being a bit breaky from all the stuff that's going on.

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    1. Nice to know I am not alone in that one, Paula! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

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  4. Hi there Karrilee. Oh, yes I think I know how you feel. This post made me smile. I know what it's like to be running fast and furious. And you think, "Wait, God is my refuge, but God is the one calling me to all this!" Wonderful that He follows us wherever we go. We never lose Him!

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    1. Amen Betsy! (In the midst of all my head spinning - He told me to go read my last 31 days series... it was on Rest! He's smart like that!) LOL!

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  5. Huh, glad to know I'm not that only who sometimes feels that His pushing is almost too much! Maybe that's the place we need to be, because it brings us to rely on Him above ourselves. Even though it can definitely be a challenge!

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    1. I think you are on to something there my friend - even though I don't always love it - I know that you are right! If we want to walk on water - we must venture out into the deep!

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  6. Yes! God NEVER hides from us. Thank you for the reminder (and for the reference to Bob--my daughter and I were just saying yesterday that we needed to watch that movie again!).

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    1. LOL! I am so glad someone got that What About Bob reference! It cracked me up - but I was afraid I'd be the only one who got it... but there is no editing, right? I need to watch it again too... obviously!

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  7. Oh goodness you posted my life! I try not to, but I often wonder what in the world God is THINKING with all that He hands us! Does it ever slow, does it ever let go? But you're right. He's got us. It's my mantra; God's got me. Thanks for the reminder that God never hides from us - it's a comfort!

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    1. LOL Carol! Isn't it so good to know that we are not alone! IAnd the truth of your mantra... because really, He really DOES have us... blessings, my friend!

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  8. "But the good news is that there is no God hiding from us, either!" <--- We can take that to the bank and I'm just so grateful. That He knows, He sees, He understands and even when we don't, He loves us in spite of it all!

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    1. AMen... just so much amen! Thanks for stopping by Tiffany! Have a blessed weekend!

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  9. Escape can sound so attractive! Thank God that we can never escape from His sight!

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    1. Escape sounds so dreamy... but when it is an attempted escape from Him - there is no rest in it! I have learned this truth... but sometimes I still fall for the siren song! ;) Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. This: No, there is no hiding from God. But the good news is that there is no God hiding from us, either! Love that statement - that truth!

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    1. I know, right? LOL - You never know what is going to surface in a FMF post! I am always so pleased when there is a sentence or two that stand out and preach! ;) Love you, girlie!

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  11. #SleepTweeting. You know it.

    God knows exactly what you're feeling, my friend. He knows what you're thinking. He knows what He's asked of you and how it's requiring all this energy and attention. And in all that, I firmly believe that He'll grace you with little breaks. Little pockets of rest. Be on the lookout for them. Watch for those moments where you just get to sit with Him and reflect on the beauty. That'll fuel you for the next leg of the race!

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    1. LOL! I knew you would get the #SleepTweeting comment! And thank you... this is great advice and I will keep my eyes open for those gifts of rest and not just plow right through them! ;)

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  12. I love your post!!! It helps me remind me that I'm never alone even when I feel like it. Thank you so much

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    1. Amen... we never are alone... He is always with us and for us! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  13. I decided to hide away this week with a Netflix Marathon of Scandal. I am thankful that even in the times I try to hid away He is right there whispering in my ear and to my heart.

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    1. Amen, my friend! You are not alone... (both in that we have all done that, and in that He is always there!) Love you bunches, sister!

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  14. I love this song, and I never heard of Jenn Johnson before, so I predict I will be binge listening to all her songs on YouTube very soon. I love this reminder of God's nearness- no matter what. Hugs and prayers my friend. -Jolene

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    1. Jolene... OH MY GOODNESS!!! I am so jealous that you are just discovering the amazingness of Jenn Johnson right now! She is (because you know how I am... one of) My favorite(s)! ;) You HAVE to watch/listen to/worship with this one: God, I look to you...
      https://youtu.be/z1nJrioKNvI
      Ooooh - and this one too: In Over My Head
      https://youtu.be/qv3-TDdD1pM

      ENJOY, my friend! Enjoy!

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  15. Oh, yes the Netflix hideaway. You are certainly not alone! I love that scripture and praise the LORD that God does not hide from us either! Great post as always.

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    1. Thanks so much Natalie! Isn't it nice to know that we are not alone.... or isolated! Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend!

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  16. Lovely reading your post and how we serve a God who has us so close to His precious heart. Love the song, Nearness. Hiding in Him, instead of from Him!

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  17. He is there, yes he is always there. I just love this Psalm and song. I am thankful He is always with us. In the silence he speaks in the quiet he calms, he is so good!

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    1. Amen! He really, really is! (And I'm so glad that when I start to forget or doubt that, He is quick to remind me!)

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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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