Rainy Fridays
It's raining. A steady stream of heavy drops are falling and flooding campus. What was once just uneven terrain is now Lake Wilcat. For those paying the big bucks, they can enjoy the exceptional, innovative, and real waterfront experience this week from the comfort of their own dorm lawns.
It's a gorgeous rain, the kind that whispers after a long week. The chalk advertisements and spilled coffees are being washed away from the walkways. I can see the power behind a slope, but after walking back to work following chapel, I saw the power behind the water washing away these things. It's simply beautiful.
This week I have experienced God in a very different way. When I didn't think I could feel God, I knew an incredible sense of His presence. I learned, in some small way, the effect that the enemy can have in our lives when we get stuck in our times of pity, loneliness, or worry. These are not of God. But I don't think I ever understood how much footing that gives the enemy as we dwell in these times and shy away from our Creator for even just a second.
It works in two ways- or at least these are the two that were revealed to me this week. The devil can easily work in your own mind, distracting you from the love, presence, and fulfillment of God. Through his quiet nagging we overtime adopt attitudes inconsistent with someone in step with Christ. The scary part is how it leads us to question...which isn't necessarily bad, but when we forget to turn to God, leads to a slippery slope that you don't recognize your sliding down until your already drowning in the puddle. This leads me to the second way. When we begin to give him that footing, our focus becomes on the mud, not the slip downward, or the things around us. But the mud and the muddy thoughts fog our minds. When this happens, others are hurt.
It starts with us and then it spreads like mud tracked in the house. We are unable to recognize the lives of those around us with the eyes that once viewed them in selfless love. The devil seeks to rob us of all things good, beautiful, and healthy. This is all too often done because we give him foothold in our minds and ultimately comes at the expense of you and me.
This week several heartbreaking things happened. And it took a broken relationship, a sister in Christ's suicide attempt, a loved one's diagnosis, fear of hurt, and my stubborn reluctance to accept an invitation to get my attention. That really frightens me.
I am writing today to share this because it has been one of my most challenging weeks. Surprisingly though, although these are no coincidences (C.S. Lewis), a friend shared part of her story with me. It isn't just me. All around us people are hurting and if we let the devil have even a corner of our minds, he's treading in the mud everywhere else. We are becoming blind to the lives of those we love or letting the mud cloud our judgment and giving satan more ground to ruin relationships that are beneficial and beautiful to God.
I have a lot to sort out. I have people to apologize to. I have friends to love, a grandmother to comfort and be there for. I have a mindset to get right with God. To grab ahold of His hand and get back in step. Because I do not want the devil to take anything else.
The rain has quite a lot of power. But today it just reminds me of God. The heavens declare His greatness. The earth cries out to Him. I do not doubt that He is reflected in the rain. He sends all things in their due time. He washes away with a gentle force. Impossible? No, not for my God, Our God.
So open your eyes. Get washed in the rain. Literally. I've shed many tears this week and have begun to know God's presence. But standing outside today helped me feel it. In the cool, yet dense air, with big drops plastering my hair and washing the ground beneath me, I know God is here and He is bigger than all that is happening, bigger than His name.
As my friend says, "we can't put God in a box".
It's a gorgeous rain, the kind that whispers after a long week. The chalk advertisements and spilled coffees are being washed away from the walkways. I can see the power behind a slope, but after walking back to work following chapel, I saw the power behind the water washing away these things. It's simply beautiful.
This week I have experienced God in a very different way. When I didn't think I could feel God, I knew an incredible sense of His presence. I learned, in some small way, the effect that the enemy can have in our lives when we get stuck in our times of pity, loneliness, or worry. These are not of God. But I don't think I ever understood how much footing that gives the enemy as we dwell in these times and shy away from our Creator for even just a second.
It works in two ways- or at least these are the two that were revealed to me this week. The devil can easily work in your own mind, distracting you from the love, presence, and fulfillment of God. Through his quiet nagging we overtime adopt attitudes inconsistent with someone in step with Christ. The scary part is how it leads us to question...which isn't necessarily bad, but when we forget to turn to God, leads to a slippery slope that you don't recognize your sliding down until your already drowning in the puddle. This leads me to the second way. When we begin to give him that footing, our focus becomes on the mud, not the slip downward, or the things around us. But the mud and the muddy thoughts fog our minds. When this happens, others are hurt.
It starts with us and then it spreads like mud tracked in the house. We are unable to recognize the lives of those around us with the eyes that once viewed them in selfless love. The devil seeks to rob us of all things good, beautiful, and healthy. This is all too often done because we give him foothold in our minds and ultimately comes at the expense of you and me.
This week several heartbreaking things happened. And it took a broken relationship, a sister in Christ's suicide attempt, a loved one's diagnosis, fear of hurt, and my stubborn reluctance to accept an invitation to get my attention. That really frightens me.
I am writing today to share this because it has been one of my most challenging weeks. Surprisingly though, although these are no coincidences (C.S. Lewis), a friend shared part of her story with me. It isn't just me. All around us people are hurting and if we let the devil have even a corner of our minds, he's treading in the mud everywhere else. We are becoming blind to the lives of those we love or letting the mud cloud our judgment and giving satan more ground to ruin relationships that are beneficial and beautiful to God.
I have a lot to sort out. I have people to apologize to. I have friends to love, a grandmother to comfort and be there for. I have a mindset to get right with God. To grab ahold of His hand and get back in step. Because I do not want the devil to take anything else.
The rain has quite a lot of power. But today it just reminds me of God. The heavens declare His greatness. The earth cries out to Him. I do not doubt that He is reflected in the rain. He sends all things in their due time. He washes away with a gentle force. Impossible? No, not for my God, Our God.
So open your eyes. Get washed in the rain. Literally. I've shed many tears this week and have begun to know God's presence. But standing outside today helped me feel it. In the cool, yet dense air, with big drops plastering my hair and washing the ground beneath me, I know God is here and He is bigger than all that is happening, bigger than His name.
As my friend says, "we can't put God in a box".
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