Stepping out in RED shoes!
- Day 8 -
After my morning prayer walk, I came home, changed quickly, and headed out the door in my RUBY REDS to take care of a couple quick errands. Before I knew it, I was home again. The shoes came off and on went my comfy RED socks. I had a lot to take care of around the house today.
Here, there and just about everywhere, I found myself taking time to pray. Sometimes I lifted up specific individuals in prayer with appropriate petitions and requests. Other times, I just stopped everything and begin praising Him. More than ever, I sense His presence with me continually. It's a clear and confident sense of peacefulness.
My heart and mind are in agreement that
"it is well with my soul!"
Already this year, I've noticed something different has been added to my daily routine. It's a greater hunger for the Word of God. I use that word, "hunger" for a reason. I am finding myself needing to eat or take in scripture in greater quantity and more frequently. I know that's a good sign!
Tonight I decided I couldn't put off any longer. It was time to start taking down the Christmas decorations. I hate to do that! The house is so warm and inviting during the holidays. The atmosphere is filled with Christmas spirit: fragrant candles are continually burning and colorful ornaments, pictures and stockings are hanging everywhere. Not any more! Now it's all been packed away in containers and put in the garage.
Now that I think of it, He didn't even say a thing. I was the first one to speak -- but it was as if He had been waiting for me to bring up the topic. Six weeks ago or so, when I was decorating the tree, I was so sure that God has spoken something to me. It was just a little thing, but when that something never happened, I guess I tucked my thoughts about it in the closet of my heart and shut the door.
Reaching for the ornament tonight
seemed to unlock the door and
out spilled the contents of my heart.
"I'm so sorry Lord. I don't even know where I went wrong. I don't know why that happened? I'm not mad at you -- I'm just mad at myself. If what you said, didn't happen, then you couldn't have said it to begin with. I just want to be able to hear you clearly all the time. I don't want to be getting it right sometimes and wrong other times."
God lovingly let me get out all my pent up frustration. He listened to every word and collected up every one of my tears. Then He told me not to worry about it. He didn't seem near as concerned as I was about the whole thing.
"As you read more and more of My Word,
He said,
you'll find yourself in closer alignment with Me."
As we continued to talk, the conversation got even more interesting. He reminded me that though He is perfect, I never will be. He's not looking for, nor expecting perfection from me. I will never attain that. That's His area.
"If the people I used were perfect,
said the Lord,
they would get the glory.
And I don't share My glory with anyone!"
"I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols"
Isaiah 42:8
That's interesting because I always get the feeling that people expect perfection. Well -- good thing my priority is to please God and not people. That's another one of those things that's easier said than done, but I'm getting there. I know all too well, that if one's goal is to please everybody, you've set yourself up for failure. It's a "NO WIN" situation.
In Luke 12:8-12, Jesus instructs His disciples not to worry about what they will say when they are brought into the synagogues before the officials. They can never be fully prepared for such a moment, nor are they expected to.
"For the Holy spirit will teach you
in that very hour what you ought to say"
vs. 12
As I'm stepping out in RED shoes each day, God is teaching me more and more about this Divine Partnership.
Gail
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