my daughter ashley is away this week studying theater at uncc. on tuesday night (wednesday morning) at 1:00 AM, my phone woke me up with a text message she had sent:
just had an EXTREME God moment. had to tell you. explain tomorrow. love you! night.
she called last night to tell me about it. during the hour before sending it, she had been lying on her bunk, ready to sleep, when some thoughts about the past began to invade her mind, making her uneasy. she jumped off her bunk, grabbed her ipod, and dialed up some worship music that had been very special to her a few years back that she hadn't listened to much since then. as the words and the music replaced the negative thoughts in her head, she tearfully welcomed the peaceful presence of God which was overwhelming her.
as i reflect on her story this morning, several thoughts come to mind:
1. i love my daughter! and i love that i can have a conversation with her on such an important spiritual level. young parents: please talk openly about the Lord daily in your home. when moments like this come along later, you'll find there is nothing like it!
2. i love how God shows up like this. ashley and i discussed what God might have been up to in this moment, but finding the right answer wasn't the goal. giving thanks to Him that he DID show up was the important thing.
3. philippians 4.6-7 says: don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. his peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
true that.
4. from time to time, ashley tells me that she wishes she felt God's presence in a greater way. i know the feeling - she and i were poured from the exact same mold (part of that i celebrate, and part leads me to pray so hard for her, bless her heart...). anyway, this morning i remembered a resource on my bookshelf. it's called Sacred Pathways, by gary thomas. it's a great resource which helps you discover how you best and most fully experience God. i recommend the book.
in the process of googling, i came across the short 45-question quiz that points you in the right direction. here's the link:
i'd love it if you would take it after reading the rest of this post. knowing ourselves is so important in so many ways. knowing how we best enjoy the presence of God should top the list of what we know about ourselves. there are 9 categories. you might pay most attention to the top 2 or 3. here are mine:
1. naturalist: you draw near to God through nature (being in the great outdoors)
2. intellectual: you draw near to God through your mind (study and knowledge about God)
3. sensate: you draw near to God through your senses (music, art, aroma, etc.)
so... how do you draw near to God? or maybe better asked: do you know how God has wired you to best feel Him drawing near to you?
take the quiz.
me? i'm going whitewater rafting today!
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3 comments:
Good stuff man. No surprises on the top 2, but a bit of a surprise on one of my two 3rd place traits!
Intellectual
Traditionalist
Aescetic/Sensate
Luke
Very interesting! I'm not too surprised by mine either - and it does explain part of why I feel such a strong call to home school.
Intellectual
Naturalist
Contemplative / Ascetic
Becky
Caregiver
Naturalist
Activist
No surprises here. Now if I could just incorporate these into my life more.
I envy how often you make it out to nature Jeff. Nature seemed so much more accessible to me when I lived in Arizona.
I've often thought about becoming a nurse as well, and perhaps I will once Jasmine is a little older.
It's good to be reminded of how I experience God. I sometimes go far too long without walking down any of these pathways.
Aaron
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