Clay in the Hands

Isn’t it interesting how fast life happens? As I sat down to put these words together, I realized how long it has been since I have offered any thoughts here. I get busy and priorities get bumped around like a pinball against the bumpers of an annoyingly loud pinball machine – if I allow. All of us get pressed into the rat race and we, once again, buy into the “do more, get more” mentality of the culture. Then a question comes along that stops us in our tracks – – “What is the last thing God said to me?”

Which immediately begs the question, “Does God still speak to us at all?” I believe that God does still speak – through His word, through others and through that still, quiet, inner voice. God is at work all around us each and every day. I have come to see that the issue of hearing from God is not that He is not communicating but rather that we are not paying attention.

When I slow down and consider what God is saying to me, it is intimidating. But it is an exercise that forces me to get serious about listening and reflecting on God’s interaction in my life. It should come as no surprise that as I have forced myself to pay attention and listen, what God has been saying to me for months now is, “Slow down! Breathe! Just trust me and be present with me.”

Even as I type these words, a mix of calm and peace and stress all swirl together. There is a true sense of relief and peace that comes when we slow down and become present with God. But, there is the constant nag of the pressure of getting things done that is incessantly calling for our attention. It takes effort on our part – discipline to slow down.

For me, I have committed to slowing down daily to listen. As you slow down and listen today, what is God saying to you?