It’s a Sunday morning in January, and God is about to do something different. How do I know? I look out over the Coachella Valley and instead of our normal bright and sunny environment, clouds hang low over the landscape. The mountains that normally define our boundaries are invisible.
It is a misty, wispy day – making it appear as if Your Spirit is hovering close to the ground, wanting, begging for us to snuggle down, so You can reveal a new way to look at the things around us.
In the distance, the definition of the palm trees that carpet the valley floor are like dark ghost trees…poking through the ground fog in black fluff balls, not anchored to the ground. As my eye travels to the land closer to my outlook, there is more and more clarity.
Live is lived in the grey zone. Life isn’t as black and white as we would like. Things are not clear all of the time.
As I wrote and watched the scene moving and shifting before me, our Bible Study group begins to talk about how we perceive “bad things” in life. Then a “transformation of thought” began to emerge. Things are not always how we perceive them. We see the dark things in our lives as disconnected from what God is doing in our lives. The Enemy tries to obscure reality, like the ground fog hides the palm trees. The only way to get clarity is to get up close and personal with God.
Then I felt God nudging me with this thought, “Through dark times I bring more life. I bring growth and even more life. The contrast gives you a new perspective; highlights something new. It catches your eye and tweaks your brain – giving Me a moment to break-in, to reveal a new thought, to deepen our relationship, and to grow confidence in your direction, or to hone your character for your next direction.”
As the clouds began to lift, the people in the room seem to settle into peaceful contentment, knowing that God is with us in every situation and circumstance. There was a recounting of situations that we had thought were bad which have turned into major blessings. The mountains began to take shape in the distance with a new set of boundaries for our lives, ones that have been reshaped by this morning of resting in God’s presence.
As I read portions of what I had been writing to the group, I realized I had just encountered one of my “why do I exist moments.” I am a watchman on the wall, who is also called to be a scribe; to write down what I see and feel, so that others might be encouraged and challenged by what God is doing.
How do you perceive God and His plans and purposes for your life? Are you up close and personal, seeing clarity, or are things obscured from your view? I encourage you to take time with Him today to get His perspective on what is going on with your life circumstances.
For years and years, I “talked the talk,” but didn’t “walk the walk.” I encouraged the people around me to get those outside of the church to participate in projects we sponsored that were designed to help others in the community – with food, clothing, gifts, and more. However, I was guilty of never actually doing that myself.
the walk. I invited my Toastmasters Club (a training group for public speaking) to join me in collecting food for The Narrow Door – who provides food for many in the Coachella Valley. Yes, I got creative in my asking, by tying this activity to a PR project that everyone in Toastmasters had to complete at some point. The results, though, were amazing. The club jumped on board, and we collected over 100 pounds of food. Everyone expressed the joy at being able to help others in need.