And the Winner IS..... (drum roll please)..... Katie A!
Congratulations to Katie for winning the coffee house gift certificate from our recent Comment Contest for the blog post "Excuse Me, But I Think I Live Here."
Her winning comment was:
"i love the title of this! i have a few things i do when i am running low option 1: extra long hot shower with locked bathroom door, like to pray in the shower 2. a big cup of hot tea 3. out with a girlfriend and for crazy days at home 4. curl up in little ball on the floor and beg God to help me be nice to my children and be patient on days they are making me crazy."
Katie A.
Thank you Katie for your honesty and humor as you shared with us how you get through some of the more challenging days! I heard several comments about your comment, like "Glad to know I am not the only one!" :-) I will be in touch about delivery of your gift certificate!
Moving on...
I was blessed this past Saturday to have the opportunity to attend a "Life In The Spirit" seminar. My mom asked me if I would like to go and after trying to make up excuses why I was too busy to take a Saturday out of my life for the Holy Spirit I finally realized that I was actually in desperate need of that exact thing. So I said yes, and off my mom and I went for our day long retreat.
When we first arrived I was made acutely aware of the fact that I was the youngest in the room, by at least 15 or more years. I said a quick pray and asked God to show up for me in a way I was not expecting. And without fail, He did. He chose an Irish grandfather figure to speak through that day. Deacon Mike Cullen artfully weaved a message of charismatic renewal with funny stories of his youth, life changing moments from his early adulthood, and recent times when the Holy Spirit has shown up in his life.
Over time I will share little tid-bits of things I learned from that day, some about the Holy Spirit, some about my mother, and lots about myself, but for today I am working through "Being in the Flow of the Spirit." Deacon Mike started out early in the morning session with a scripture reference from Ezekiel about the river by which the exiles stayed. Mike explained the significance of this river and how it represented the Holy Spirit. He went on to explain how each of us is in different parts of the river. Some of us are just wading in to test the waters. Many of us have witnessed what the Holy Spirit has dine in the life of someone else so we are willing to wade in up to our knees. Still more of us have had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and we are in up to our waist and beginning to let the river move us. There a some that are faith-filled to the point that they are up to their neck, yet they are still unwilling to give up full control to the Holy Spirit and so you can still see their head bobbing above the water. And then there are the few that have made a full abandonment of their earthly lives and have submerged themselves fully in the Living Waters of the Holy Spirit.
As I began to think about where I was in the river I realized I am that person that is up to my neck but still trying to keep my head above water. There have been times when I have allowed my body to become fully submerged but then my human survival instinct kicks in and I make my way to the surface. I am neck deep in a phase of my life where I am treading water, fast, just to keep my head above water. And what I really need to do is take a deep breath and dive into the refreshing and healing water of the Holy Spirit.
Since Saturday I have had a song rolling through my mind, no-stop. See if it stirs in you anything like it has been working on me:
I desire to be able to close my eyes, slip under the surface and look at a new life, through the eyes of my Lord. There is a different world in the River of Life that is offered through the Spirit. One where I do not need to be in control, one where I can release all the pain and struggles of this life. I long for a relationship with my Heavenly Father where He is truly in control and I am merely the beneficiary of His goodness, mercy, and grace.
I have a long way to go, yet I am so very close. Doesn't it feel like that sometimes. We feel like we will never make it, yet all we have to do is stop and accept it. It seems like the hardest challenge, yet it is there for the taking. All we have to do is ask and it shall be given, knock and the door shall be opened, take a deep breath and allow ourselves to be pulled under, into the flow of the Holy Spirit.
So..... Where are you in the river? Are you just wading in? Are you up to your knees? Are you up to your waist and just beginning to be moved for the first time? Are you neck deep but still in control? Have you allowed yourself to be taken under and filled with a new life? What are you struggling with? What keeps you in control? Where have you given up control and allowed the Spirit to take the lead?
My prayer for today is for weak knees. Knees that bend. Knees that go weak and allow us to hit the floor. Knees that go weak and allow us to fall under the surface of the water. And once we are on our knees, and under the surface, I pray that we are humbled and open to the work of the Holy Spirit. I pray that we are able to give up control and allow our LORD to do a work in us, one that we can not possible do for ourselves. I pray that through surrender we are able to find a new life in Christ Jesus.
Until We Meet Again,
Drea
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