The most stressful moments of a single day always insist of moving my children from point A to point B...in a parking lot!
"Hold my hand!"
"Watch out!"
"Car!!!"
Blood pressure rises. Tone of voice, serious. Not to mention the heavy burden of trying to appear to be the perfect mom by keeping my cool, all the while my insides run wild!
Many times, I miss a precious moment tucked in between these hair raising experiences. For instance...
We finally approached the door yet my motherly control still wanted knowledge of every finger and toe's whereabouts. My youngest, age 3, darted away from me with all the confidence of the world. My heart pounded. Frustration elevated. And in that brief moment, I just about missed it.
He approached the door, spread out his arms as though he were just about to embrace the world with a giant hug, his chest puffed out with confidence as he stood facing the door...waiting for "the force". Sure enough, the doors swung open simply through the power of his presence!
Right at the moment I about landed into him for running off, a stranger giggled at the humor of this little child. The eyes of my heart opened at the sound of the giggle and I realized I almost missed it. Consumed with things going exactly as I had planned, I almost missed a humorous and memorable moment. My need to control almost stifled a memory.
And then I remembered...
"Do not stifle the Holy Spirit."
(1 Thessalonians 5:19)
The need to control my life interferes often. I wonder how many moments I have missed because of my tight fist hold on life. And I question how many times have I stifled the Holy Spirit, stuffing him down into the depths, ignoring his prompting, all for my control's sake, only to miss an opportunity...
to grow.
to evangelize.
to encourage.
to endure with peace.
to walk forward with joy.
to be in God's will.
I leave you with this prayer...
"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong."
Ephesians 3:16-17
Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteI love this. And you are so right - in my need to control, I know I stifle God so very often. Thank you for the wonderful way you put words to this. It will stay with me. I've just seen your blog and look forward to reading more!
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