A Quiet Soul

     I recently had a very stressful several months which led to me on a stretcher in the Emergency Room hooked up to monitors and tubes, with medicine to regulate my heart rate and blood pressure pumping into my veins. Now, if that doesn't make you sit up and take notice, you are going through life with blinders on! For those of us who understand we have been given a blessing in the form of a warning, it means Changes are Coming! I laughed when I typed that. Because I have written that so many times in my past, and I truly meant them each time I wrote them. I am claiming this time to be different. I am not making a long list of what I will change. I am, instead, with much prayer and guidance from above, going to work on being still and listening, not to the questions that bombard us on a minute by minute basis, but to the Answer.  How? This is what I learned from my little brush with my on mortality. I hope it helps you, too in your journey. 

The answer to it all... the stress, the worry, the bills, the kids' needs, the grandbabies' wants, the dishes, the roof that needs fixing, the job concerns, the personal issues that only you and God know.... the answer, I believe, lies in having a Quiet Soul.  When we still ourselves, we can listen, with our Soul, our very being, to the One, the very Being who created us. If we believe, as we are told in Genesis, that we are created in the image of God, then we must believe that our souls are also created in the image of Him. That means all of those little quirks, special ways, unique thoughts, one of a kind outlooks that make you who you are, all of those things, are a reflection of a great and loving Father who delights in each aspect of your uniqueness! We get so caught up in all of the things that take up our time, our thoughts, our energy, that we forget it is only in the stillness that we can hear the deep Truth that lies within us, the meaning, the reason, the innate knowing that our Creator loves each one of us and has a very individual plan for every one of us.  So often, like my recent experience with stress, we find ourselves in a spot that we feel backed into a corner and we tend to resist Jesus when He comes to us gently, softy, longing to heal our broken spirit. Too often we have a false belief in our own abilities to "make it own my own", we feel and believe that we should "be tough" and "take care of business myself."  While there is nothing wrong with being independent, often the independence turns into stubbornness, rebellion, and disobedience. That word, 'disobedience' may offend some of you. I use it deliberately, because while we may not have committed some cardinal sin, some act of overt wrong, when we arrogantly walk through our lives as if we are in control, leaning on our own strengths and wisdom, trusting in our own abilities, we become disobedient to God's word, and to our Savior's calling. Jesus wants an intimate relationship with each of us. He desires to me our Friend, our Brother, our Shepherd.  You cannot have an intimate relationship with Christ if you never spend  time talking to and listening to His Voice.  That means turning off the world, turning off the nagging concerns, the tv, the cell phone, the computer.  Maybe it means turning on the alarm clock a little early, getting up, and spending time in the early morning just getting to know Jesus again. I know it's hard to get up earlier than usual, I treasure my sleep also, but the reward is so much greater than the few minutes sleep you will never miss in eternity!  Find that quiet spot, that place where you are comfortable and feel relaxed. Then just listen. Open your mind, clear your thoughts, and just allow yourself to be.  There are no magic words, no incantations to chant, no special prayers... just let your soul find your Soulmate. Let the beauty, the love, the all powerful holiness of THE GREAT I AM fill you with His presence.  Bask in His glory and love. Feel the filling warmth of your Creator God, the One  who knows you from your most inward parts.  Don't rush.  Listen with your soul, and allow your soul to be touched by the Giver of Life.  This is where you will find your answers to those innermost desires and fears. This is where you will find your path, your direction, your purpose on this journey. Here, in your quiet soul, communing with the Alpha and Omega, the True Lover of your soul.

Be blessed everyone!