Gleanings in the midst of the daily grind.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit, our Counselor, speaks to us sweetly like a summer evening breeze blowing against a pair of white linen pants. Other times it feels more like he is pelting us with the same repeated truth again and again like some obnoxious, freckle-faced kid shooting spit wads through a straw in the elementary school cafeteria.


This continual zapping of correction and teaching makes me feel a bit like a dog wearing a collar for an invisible fence. It is kind of uncomfortable. Humbling. At the same time, it is so peaceful to know where the boundaries lie. How to live. How not to live. "Watch it, Abbie--you're living for the world, not for me--take a step back--there you go. That's better."



Here are some gleanings of truth from today that were perhaps not so much gleaned as they were shot at me through the Counselor's giant straw of wisdom and correction. Why was I the target? Because lately I am struggling with waiting on the Lord in the moment. I either live too much in comfort of the past (like I wrote about yesterday) or too much in the anticipation (or, more often, fear) of tomorrow.


First this, from Oswald Chambers--a beautiful (yet convicting) reminder to live with a spirit of passionate waiting:


"Wait on the Lord and He will work. But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to wait patiently for Him? Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told. These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize."


Then, a short note laced with wisdom from a dear friend (in response to yesterday's blog):



"I feel you in the roots department. It's a hard reality of living in the kingdom of the now but not yet. In truth, we have no promise for tomorrow even if we've lived in the same place for 40 years. But somehow our perceived uncertainty about the future can propel us into self-obsession and relational pessimism. But, girl, it's a Carpe Diem kingdom, making the most of every opportunity isn't just a mantra, it's a way of life. We have to invest because the investment isn't for us, it's for the one we serve."

Lastly, a convicting prayer I overheard a man praying aloud with a friend at Starbucks of all places:

"Lord, I pray for the people who think it is all about them, and not about you."

Ouch! You got me, Lord! Bulls eye!

It's days like today where I feel just like that dog--zapped so many times by the invisible fence collar that all I want to do is keel over into a whimpering ball. But the repeated correction is followed by a gentle, protecting hand that comforts me in my humbled moments and reminds me of what really matters. His plan, not mine, of course. And so I wait...

"Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path."-Psalms 37:34