The Danger of Being Too Busy to Listen... a Five Minute Friday post

I made it, y'all! I made it to the party and it felt so good to just pop in and reconnect and say hello! I truly am hoping to make this part of my weekly routine once again! We'll just call it self-care and block out the calendar on Thursday evenings! 

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt for the day is: LISTEN

{GO}

I am like a broken record when it comes to how God is just always, always, ALWAYS speaking to us!

He is never out of words or giving us the silent treatment.

I know... I know sometimes it feels like that! 

I have written it myself --about my Summer of Silence and how God was less than chatty with me (and how I was not a fan of that!) but even during those months, He was speaking. 

I just had to learn a new way to listen!

It's been no secret lately that I have been tired.

It seems as soon as I hit publish on that little eBook on Rest, I was overcome with exhaustion. 

Yeah. 

  That.

The enemy is consistently obvious, right? 

And yet... I fall for his trickery and lies again and again.

You see God had been calling me to rest... to slow... to cut back (even when expectation was rising for me to step up.)

I don't know about you, but for me the thought of desperately needing rest feels heavy. Like I don't have enough time stored up to actually pursue that.

It's the same thing when we need to hear from Him.

We forget that WE are the ones who make it hard.

("It's not You, Lord. It's me.")

God is for us and He is wanting to speak to us more than we want to hear His voice.

He is wanting to give us rest more than our souls are parched for a bit of Sabbath refreshing.

If we will but follow His lead, He will not take over and get all bossy with us! He gives us what we need - and if need be, He will give it to us in concentrated form!

Yesterday while I was preparing to head out and run errands, I had a stray thought --a pull to grab my camera and take it with me.  As I was done running around and headed for home, the Lord suggested I grab a latte and head for the hills. Well - for the orchards, to be exact.

I could have come up with a million reasons why I shouldn't. But instead, I simply said yes. 

I am taking a class and the assignment this week was to find something that keeps you connected to God that you enjoy.

I didn't even do the math that this counted, but there is something energizing and holy that happens when I lift my camera to my eye and begin to frame a shot. 

I feel His Presence... His leading... His breath on my neck and I feel... happy.

Joy.

It simply brings me joy. 

It fills my tank back up and if I wasn't listening, I could have missed it!

It took me a total of 30 extra minutes, but it gave me hours of happiness (plus a coffee! He knows me so well!)

I could have missed it* by ignoring the prompting, or by explaining away why I couldn't possibly, or by grudgingly making the drive and seeing how limited my time was.

The danger of being too busy to listen to Him calling us to rest or to a little soul care is that we will just keep putting Him off thinking just a few minutes won't do. 

I had been putting Him off and pushing through for too long.

So yesterday, instead of more of the same... I listened and He led me out to the orchards, with light and shadows dancing and fruit hanging low on branches, with bins lined up ready for harvest, and birds singing songs of praise. I listened for Him and heard Him laughing. 

Laughing!

He whispered how it doesn't have to take all day to tap into rest or to practice self-care. 

He moves inside and outside of time and He knows what we need even more than we do! He desires that we be full and full of joy! He desires to be who we run to and the One who fills us up fresh!

A few minutes exploring in the midst of trees heavy laden with fresh apples... the scent thick and strong, camera focused and skies oh so blue, and I was refreshed. 

Just like that.

The Harvest is ripe... 

 ...and the Lord is waiting!

{STOP}

* This is where my time ran out! Grace, please!

How about you?  When you get busy, do you forget to listen? Do you hear Him calling but come up with all kinds of excuses?

I am praying that you will lean in and listen... that you will follow His lead and enter in to the Rest that He has for you!

And always... we purpose to:

Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today.  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: "LISTEN"

The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to have you join us!

I'm also linking up with the lovely writer community linked below:

#FreshMarketFriday... how adorable is that?

Kelly Chripczuk  for #SmallWonders 

Barbie Swihart for #Glimpsesofhisbeauty

As October fast approaches and many bloggers across the Internet pray into taking the Write 31 Days challenge, I am joining their ranks and once again, asking the Lord if He has anything to say through me this year.  A couple of years ago, He spoke to me and through me regarding Sabbath Rest and I turned my 31 Days series into an ebook on Amazon.  If you are finding yourself in need of Rest (which --who isn't, really?) check out this short, daily devotional  31 Days of Resting in God ...it's easier/harder than you think!  

You can purchase it by clicking here or grabbing it from the side bar to the right if Rest is something you know you need, but just keep putting off!