I'm back from my walk.
I try to go every morning, first thing, straight out of bed, sometimes while I'm still asleep. But today I made the mistake of staying in bed after I woke up, thinking and praying, which gave me time as well to consider whether I reaaally wanted to get dressed and go out in the cold, where I'd have to put enough effort to walk 2 miles. I finally got dressed and went out, wondering at first why I thought this was better than being snug and warm in my bed, with time when I got up for a cup of tea and some quiet.
But something cool happens every single time I go out there. The blood starts flowing, I "wake up" and see the beauty around me, and I can't help but be in conversation with God on a very different level than I can in the busyness and distraction of the rest of the day. I'm energized, at peace, and full of praise. Why would I ever be tempted to miss this time?
But I am. Every morning I fight through the decision of whether or not to go. Every morning I choose whether I will do what takes effort or do what is comfortable.
I was almost home this morning when it hit me. I know there are many times I feel God drawing me to "come outside" with Him. To leave behind the comfortable and the easy, and make the decision to fight through the initial discomfort to see what He has for me. I also know from experience that when He has called me to step out of comfort, He has done exactly what happens on my walks. I am energized, woken up, filled with the peace that comes from having a fresh connection with Him. And, like every morning I take a walk, I am so glad I went. I wouldn't ever trade the benefits of having stepped out for the ease of having stayed comfortable.
So, the next time I hear Him calling me to "come outside" I want to go! I want to put aside my natural desire to stay comfortable (where things are easy, where I don't have to be "uncomfortable", where I don't have to make a big effort) and see where He will take me. Is it a new relationship? A challenge in my parenting? Making myself vulnerable in a blog?
Is God calling you to come outside? Let's talk about this here and explore it together.
Iris
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Outside
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Get up, drag your feet across the bed, pull a comb through your head, drink some coffee - full of lead (as opposed to unleaded), walk until your cheeks turn red, come home and make sure the kids are fed, come to church and listen to the pastor - he's the head. LOL
Darryl
I love this post!
I am so with you on God trying to gently tug me out of my comfort zone! In fact I've been trying to keep my quiet time every morning (first thing, too.) The last 2 days however, I've had to do it at night. And it's been more of a struggle because I still have an infant getting up at least 2 times a night to eat. Oh but wait, last night it was 4 times between 2 and 6:45am. I was like- Lord how am I going to make it through the day, I can't hardly think straight. But oddly enough, when I stepped outside to take the trash to the road, the fresh crisp air did the trick! And you're right, it's really quite beautiful out early in the mornning! I hope you will continue to share your walk with Him and with us, here in bloggyland! Blessings on your day!
Post a Comment