Listen closely….no press your ear in and listen even closer than that. Turn down the noise and erase the chaos for just a few minutes and attune your ear to the sound that the earth makes. It’s the sound of birds happily singing and wind dancing through the trees. It’s the sound of water splashing over rocks and boulders in the rivers to make its way to the ocean. If you listen you can hear the grass crunching beneath your feet when you walk, or the crickets serenading you at dusk.
Can you feel the earth all around you? It’s God’s beautiful, bouquet of fresh cut flowers that He hands to you everyday. Can you feel the warmth of the sun’s rays falling on your face at dawn? Or the cool breeze offering you a respite on a hot day?
Do you ever just take the time to be present in the moment instead of fixated on the future?
I’m learning the art of presence in my own life. Seeing the beauty all around me, and indulging in it just a little. I’m leaving behind my need for projects and deadlines fixated around building a brand and platform for a more relaxed, casual approach to life. What happens if I just enjoy life a little more instead of hit the pavement every day running to achieve my goals? Will God be angry? Will my life fall apart? Will I be viewed as a slob with no ambitions or purpose in life? And more importantly, will I even care if I’m viewed that way?
Let me tell you a story about a really anxious, stressed out girl that thought she needed to “earn” her way in the world. She woke up day after day, working, fighting, striving to get others to notice her and applaud her for her achievements. She spent years and depleted her bank account learning her craft and developing her gifts. She relentlessly pursued greatness at all costs, including her own health and relationships. Because she thought that if she proved herself to everyone, surely they would love her and accept her into their tribe. But they didn’t. And she cracked.
That crack became a fault line. That fault line gave way to the greater friction underneath it and before she knew it, her entire world was destroyed.
But something beautiful happened. Beneath all of the destruction, the voice of God whispered to her, “I got you….I know who you are and you are beautiful to me.” To be seen and loved for her true self; that’s really all she ever wanted. In that moment something in her shifted. She started to see herself as a much loved child. She began to understand her value and worth and the scales of her false identity fell off.
She changed. Life became sweeter. Love became easier. And hope carried her into a new place of trust with God. She realized she didn’t have to earn her destiny, it was God’s gift to her. She need only be obedient and flexible; only tending to the task that God directed her to each day. She learned the rhythm of grace.
It’s me….I’m the girl in the story. But I have this suspicion piercing at my soul that I’m not the only one. I had a love affair with lofty ambitions and constant striving. Have you had the same affair as well??
So you can imagine my surprise when Jesus introduced Himself to me as the prince of peace and told me his burden was easy to carry. Um what??? Shouldn’t everything be hard and always cost me something? Shouldn’t I have to earn everything God gives me? Don’t I need to work, work, work?
Just like the curse that fell on Adam and Eve….they had to work the earth for it to produce fruit. Work, work, work…toil, toil, toil. Isn’t that what we inherited- a cursed earth that requires us to strive constantly to get anything worthy from it? I would have to say yes….yes that is what we inherited with one twist: Jesus changed everything!
To be honest here- life is hard. There is not getting around that. The difference between us and Adam & Eve, is we now have God Himself with us again. And wherever God is, victory is. He never loses.
Wherever He is, there is provision and favor. So even though we have to work, it’s a different kind of work. The work now becomes trusting in God to provide. We now work towards a perfected faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. It’s the kind of love that leaves no room for fear.
So have no fear today. Push aside all worry and dread of the future. You have a God that walks with you in the cool of the day AND in the hottest moments of your life. His presence brings life and hope. You are never alone or left to your devices to try and figure things out or make a way in an impossible situation. There is no striving in this relationship.
So go enjoy your life and live in the present moment, soaking up the beauty that’s all around you 🙂
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