Disappointment: An Opportunity to Learn

There are no mistakes in life, only opportunities to learn a new lesson.

Okay, so test that statement with me right now. Think of something from today or some time recently when you made a mistake or something felt bad in your life.

Maybe your spouse said something that made you mad.

Maybe you got in a fender bender.

Maybe you arrived somewhere embarrassingly late.

So what did you learn from that? Was there something you could have done that would prevent that in the future? Or in the case of your spouse, is it time to do some reading or counseling to improve matters?

These are the types of lessons we can learn in order for things to go better in the future.

As someone once said, failure is an opportunity to do something different next time.

Opportunities to Learn: Yes, I’ve Had Many of Them!

For example, recently a friend of mine was acting like she was irritated with me, and I knew I needed to ask if there was something wrong. But when I asked her, she became aloof and cold, insisting there was nothing. I tried to be a safe person to her, but nothing I said would get her to talk. As I thought about it later, I wondered if it was a mistake to bring it up. Lesson learned? Maybe she’s not going to be able to be a close friend, and I need to direct my energy and expectations in other places. Or if I decide to keep cultivating our friendship, I learned I need to allow more time and interaction to figure out how it can work on a deeper level.

Or there’s the time I posted something on Facebook and had no idea that it would offend someone I care about. Lesson learned? When I post something, I am now more aware of possible consequences… I think about my “audience.”

So use failure as a springboard to success. Direct your energy toward future improvement rather than wallowing in regret.

Opportunities To Learn: Look for Them

There are so many potential opportunities for learning through error! (Aren’t you excited?) You’ll find them in your job, relationships, health, activities and events. All of these have wonderful opportunities for learning through mistakes!  The biggest requirement necessary on our part is a teachable, honest attitude in evaluating ourselves and what we have contributed toward the problem. Because we usually have contributed something.

This is HUGE in experiencing the reality that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The “good” often includes a lesson that will help us with what comes along next in life.

My years of deep suffering came as a big surprise to me. I’d always been in great health and enjoyed a close relationship with God. When my health crisis first hit back in 1997, I was strong spiritually, fully trusting God. But as weeks of suffering turned into months and finally years of pain and seemingly unanswered prayer, I found myself asking, “How can God stand by and watch his dearly-loved daughter suffer for years without intervening? I couldn’t do that to my child. How can he?” Through this, I learned an unusual method of pain management.

An Unexpected Pain Management Method

Whether your pain is physical, emotional, or spiritual, it will help you immensely to talk it through with God, even wrestling with him about it. Because often when you’re in pain, you may be questioning him, actually perturbed, or downright mad at him. It won’t help to bury this. In fact, difficult things that are hidden in the darkness grow and fester, but they lose their power when brought out into the light. So talk to God about your struggles.

 Wrestling involves contending or grappling. Verbal wrestling means engaging with someone in deep thought, consideration, or debate. I’ve found that when I do this with God honestly and humbly (though I have been known to shout at times), I come out relieved and at peace when I work it through with him fully. Through our conversation, he guides my thoughts to a place of rest. My pain is greatly lessened, and even physical pain can be reduced, because emotional and spiritual tension can exacerbate physical suffering.

Important People Have Used Wrestling for Pain Management…

I’ve been encouraged to find that wrestling with God about suffering is a technique used by important historical figures. Job, in the oldest book in the Bible, wrestled from many angles, and in the Psalms, David wrestled over numerous issues with his dearest Friend. And Jacob wrestled with a man representing God, all night, “until daybreak,” until God finally blessed him (Genesis 32).

I’ve found that when you wrestle long enough with God like Jacob, praying and processing fully  ”until daybreak,” something blooms inside of you. You become new and improved.  Mandie Ellingson said “The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter.”  Bitterness poisons the container in which it is held. Bitterness hurts us in many ways throughout our total being. But becoming “better” heals and improves us, even leading to flourishing!

So, do you need to wrestle with God about something? Do you need to use this form of emotional, spiritual, and physical pain management in your regimen toward overall health? Engage with God in honesty and humility, and I’d love to hear about your outcome.

It was a surreal, supernatural experience amidst the most ordinary of circumstances.

I was in a meeting where many different people were telling about outstanding aspects of their past work year. And so guess what was going through my mind? Thoughts of comparison…thoughts of  competing: “Well, what he’s done is not all THAT great.” Or, “She probably has marriage problems with all that work she’s been excelling at.” etc.etc.etc.

The proverbial devil was on one of my shoulders, shouting into my ear.

But a much stronger voice was whispering into my other ear, because I’d been thinking with God a lot about this area: How one reason that we compare is that we aren’t convinced that we each have tremendous inestimable value, apart from anything we do. Each person is like a brilliant priceless diamond, with nothing adding or taking away from its worth.

Each of these people talking was immensely valuable. And so was I. Therefore I didn’t have to pull them down mentally, or boost myself up. I could be very happy for them and for myself, basking in how God made us each with great, unwavering value and worth.

So what was surreal and supernatural about this experience?

Well, in that meeting, when I was proactively keeping the truth at the front of my mind, I was floating and happy, like a beach ball, buoyant on the water.

But then, when the comparing/competing thoughts tried to take over, I felt like my fully-inflated joy started to sink, like my beach ball had been stabbed and was going under.

Then miraculously, as soon as I would turn my mind back to God’s perspective, I was re-inflated with peaceful well-being. This felt surreal and supernatural, the results were so immediate and life-giving.

There is great power in believing a lie, which robs our joy, but greater power in believing the truth, which inflates us with life and peace.

I’ll choose the buoyant beach ball existence any day, rejoicing in the beauty of each diamond, celebrating how it sparkles and shines.

February 27, 2012

Every person is a unique creation of God…His masterpiece.

You are a unique creation of God…You are His masterpiece.

Like every snowflake, each human being is distinctly different. God has imbued you with unique strengths, qualities, perspectives, and talents.

So why is it so hard to maintain that perspective throughout the day and let it make us glad?

Okay, so try this: Throughout this day, notice the good things about yourself, and rejoice in them!

Whether it’s your sense of humor, the warmth you convey in a phone conversation, your talent in a job situation, your musical ability, or your logical thinking…notice your giftings, savor some thoughts about them, and thank God for how he’s made you.

Then let me know how it goes. Was it easy or hard for you?

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

February 20, 2012

“Recurrent negative feelings–those that loop in the same cycles again and again without changing–are unmet knots of our past that got frozen in time for the precise reason that they were not met with kindness or acceptance.” Geneen Roth

On our road to becoming all that God created us to be, we can find ourselves stuck, experiencing worry or anger or sadness, unable to break free. These patterns hinder our spiritual and emotional health, and they can also significantly hinder our physical health.

There was a period when I found myself stuck in just such a pattern, getting my feelings hurt way too easily in various conversations. I tried many things to remedy this, but freedom came when I realized the truth alluded to by Geneen Roth in the quote above. I came to see that times of great emotional reactivity for me were happening because they were echoes of specific early experiences of hurt and rejection, when no one was around to affirm and show kindness.

Equipped with this realization, I began countering my hyper-sensitivity by reminding myself that I was no longer that hurt child, but a deeply loved daughter of the King of the Universe. And I snuggled into thoughts of the current loving relationships he has given me, affirming and kind.

Proverbs enlightens us, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) In the face of past wounds and scars from childhood sword thrusts, my own tongue can remind me of God’s truth, bringing spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.

January 5, 2012

Shekinah… Say it out loud… Even the word sounds beautiful. And wow … It can change your day, your week, your life!

Shekinah: A Hebrew word associated with God’s bright, shining, sparkling presence. It refers to God settling down in a place…where connecting to Him is more readily perceivable by you.

All I can say to that is, “Yes, please!” Can you even imagine how your day can be different when you tune your spirit’s radio frequency into THAT? God’s bright, shining, sparkling presence with you… Illuminating, brightening, fascinating, informing, embracing you.

When you’ve asked Jesus to take up residence within you, you have shekinah. Our problem is that we get distracted by what our five senses experience throughout the day, which combats against what our spiritual senses can perceive.

Here’s one thing that helps me: I choose a couple of designated times during the day to stop, take a deep cleansing breath, and refocus upon God in me. This can be while I’m in my car driving, or even when I close the door and am alone in the bathroom (often the only “alone” time available to a mom with preschoolers!)

So today, take a couple of those times and think about what Shekinah means for you: God’s dazzling, sparkling, brilliant, powerful, embracing presence. Just marinate in that for a few minutes.

Question: What helps you to refocus on the unseen spiritual realm as you go throughout your day?

“I saw no temple in the city, for Adonai, God of heaven’s armies, is its temple, as is the Lamb. The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s shekinah gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:22)

November 21, 2011

I hear you, Patsy! I’ve experienced this when:

• Someone has confronted me about one of my weaknesses. Ouch!
• I’ve stepped on the scale and realized that BIG changes need to happen. Yikes. I’ve realized I need to exercise more or make nutritional changes. Ugh.
• I need to stop being conflict-avoidant in my marriage. Ooooooo
• My addiction becomes intolerable: for me it’s been sugar. Bummer!
• I fought accepting that sin separated me from God. Eternal pain!

What about you? Is there a truth you want to avoid, but accepting and working through the agony will ultimately set you free?

For me, I get motivated to begin the process when I let myself really examine and experience how much pain my current problem is causing me, and will continue to cause over time. Then it becomes a choice:

• Do I want long, drawn-out, misery that will last indefinitely or shorter pain…and then freedom, joy, peace.
• Do I want to endure hearing about how my weakness affects others, then make a proactive plan to change, enlisting the help of a mentor, counselor, or accountability partner?
• Do I want to be uncomfortable, anxious, and miserable during a process of giving up my addiction-of-choice, or continue to experience its side-effects as they get worse and worse?
• Do I want to keep talking through conflictual areas in my marriage until progress and freedom occur, or just keep sweeping it under the rug and smolder in despair?

The truth WILL set you free, but first it will make you miserable. We often miss out on freedom because we don’t want to pay the price for it. But the price is worth it!

“So… “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9

September 26, 2011

Each day brings opportunities, large and small, to make secret choices for God’s eyes alone: attitudes and thoughts, along with their resulting words and actions.

Though no one sees these choices or knows how difficult they are, there is great reward in them.

And there is a hidden garden, full of rare and unearthly pleasure, in learning to rejoice when no one besides God sees these choices.

One of my earthly heroes is Amy Carmichael (1867-1951). As a missionary in India, she fell and was bedridden for the last 20 years of her life. Her words, written from her bed in India during her difficult final years of illness, give special significance for those who find themselves struggling with health issues today:

“True valor lies, not in what the world calls success, but in the dogged going on when everything in the man says, ‘Stop.’ … The refusal of softness … Let us face it now: Which is harder? To be well and doing things, or to be ill and bearing things? It was a long time before I saw the comfort that is in that question. Here we may find our opportunity to crucify that cowardly thing, the softness that would sink to things below, self-pity, dullness, selfishness, ungrateful gloom” (Amy Carmichael, Rose from Brier, Chapter 11).

It is far more difficult to “be ill and bear things”—soldiering on, unselfishly, choosing thankfulness—than “to be well and doing things,” as challenging and tiring as those things may be.

The latter is widely acknowledged and applauded; the former is often seen only by God, yet is priceless in value if done for him.

Question: What secret choice for God can you make today?

September 19, 2011

“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

Do you take time to savor what is good in your life? Do you notice things of beauty as you go through your day?

Whether it’s a simple bird on the branch by your window, The sunset as you’re driving on the freeway, Or the smile on your loved one’s face, Take time to treasure and ponder lovely things. This is part of filling your reservoir to overflowing.

Make it a habit each week: choose a day to go on a “beauty hunt,” proactively looking for beauty throughout the day as you go for a walk or drive your car. This spiritual exercise will train you to find and savor the positive as a way of life, and you’ll become a more joyful person.

This month I’ve decided to grow in unselfishness. (Necessary Life Skills, Spiritual Perspectives) December 2011

My husband made an irritating comment? I’ll overlook it and do something nice for him.

That car cut me off? I’ll slow down and pray for the driver. (Instead of speeding up to one inch of his bumper.)

The dessert I made for my Christmas gathering tasted funny? People didn’t finish it on their plates? Instead of obsessing about what they thought of me, I’ll decide to think about how much fun they had, laughing and conversing.

These are my examples…yours might be different. But do you know what I’ve noticed each day as I find at least one experience in which to choose unselfishness? Joy overflowing…within myself! The things that might have caused grief and anxst become reasons to smile.

Is this what Jesus meant when He said: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6: 38

Hmmm…This is so much fun, I think I’ll be unselfish next month too! : D

August 1, 2011

I love the word “weird”: Unusual. Unique. Special. Out–of–the–box.

“Keep Austin Weird.” I’ve seen this slogan everywhere since moving to Austin,Texas three weeks ago. And “weird” does describe this funky, fun, different place. From its vast creative music scene, to its bohemian South Congress area, to the political climate of this capital city, to it arts community, to its multifaceted university… This place is definitely unusual, unique, out-of-the-box.

But aren’t we all? Don’t these words describe each one of us: unusual, unique, special?

I love the way that no two things that God creates are exactly alike. We say this about snowflakes, but isn’t it also true of every human being? We each have our very own appearance, personality, patterns, and strengths. This is cause for great celebration! Of our own uniqueness and everyone else’s!

But isn’t it strange, how we instead compare ourselves, placing ourselves as either inferior or superior to others in tiny and huge ways. Don’ do it! Comparison is the great robber of joy! The opposite, and the antidote for comparison, is celebrating uniqueness. Noticing and savoring our own unique traits and strengths, and doing the same toward others.

So try this today: Mentally take note of one unique positive trait of each person you encounter, and then do the same regarding yourself. One-for-one. Celebrate being uniquely and wonderfully made, as David put it in Psalm 139.

This is just one more way of developing a lifestyle of Philippians 4:8: training your mind to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things.”

This mental lifestyle stimulates endorphins and dopamine in our brain chemistry which translates into greater health inwardly and outwardly.

So rejoice in this fact: You are unique…and so am I!

July 11, 2011

Two ginormous exams. Selling a house. Buying a house. Moving to Colorado. Moving to Texas. Selling a book. Writing a book.

2011 has involved too many varied foci. (Don’t you love that word?)

But finally, I’m sitting on a bench in a lush Colorado park, and life has slowed down slightly. I’m here for 7 weeks helping to lead xTrack, a program preparing Campus Crusade staff to adapt cross-culturally before they disperse in 2 months to nations around the globe.

Sitting here, I have a stack of papers with work to accomplish, calls to make, a to-do list to do.

But the sun feels warm, and the tall trees surrounding me gracefully sway, their leaves shimmering, enticing me, inviting. Shaking off their drug-like effect, I try to force myself to look down at the papers on my lap, willing myself to focus.

But there’s a Voice whispering, the wind swooshing through tall grass, echoing, “Be still. Just be here with Me. Sit in my love.”

A small battle ensues within, but I gradually yield to Love, His voice wooing me to rest, to realize that strong arms are encircling me, to think deeply of being cherished, adored, even liked….by the Creator of the universe.

Why do I fight this experience in my life with busy-ness? Today I rediscover the immense pleasure of sitting for an hour just feeling  Love, exploring and savoring what it means to have a loving Dad who oversees and controls everything in existence and yet enjoys being here with me.

For this moment, I am a child sitting on my Dad’s lap, leaning my head on His chest as He strokes my hair. Safety. Warmth. Affection. Sweetness.

After a while, I’m about to reluctantly leave the bench, but contemplating the fact that I don’t have to leave this reality. The trick is staying here inwardly, while engaging in the visible world. This is the way to health…spiritually, emotionally, physically. “Remaining in Him,” as Jesus put it:

“Remain in Me, as I also remain in you…I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit…As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15: 4, 5, 9

March 1, 2011

I understand where Teresa was coming from.

Let me open my diary and reveal some words I wrote during one of the most difficult times of my chronic illness, when I could barely walk, move, or talk. 

“Are you even there, Lord? Can you really be there, and love me, letting your child endure this? I thought you were going to heal me. I keep getting worse, no matter what I do. Is this really what you want for someone you love? I’m a total shut-in now. I can’t go anywhere, do anything. You seem so far. You, my dearest companion, in the past, always answering prayers so faithfully, even trivial ones. And now you’re ignoring the biggest prayer of my life.” (Break Free, p. 20)

Each person is affected differently by suffering. Some do not experience much spiritual questioning, while others find this to be a major part of their journey. Don’t be afraid to talk honestly with God about your doubts and frustrations.

God included the words of Psalm 44 and Lamentations 3 in the Bible as models for us in dialoguing with him about our uncertainties. In Genesis 32:22 – 23, God even blesses Jacob for wrestling with him. Read one of these references, and let me know in the comments section below what you think of them.

Question: What has helped you in times of spiritual doubt or discouragement?

February 7, 2011 

So says a recent study by Dr. Robert Emmons at the University of California, Davis.

So in 2011, what if we all decide to form a strong habit of expressing gratitude.

At the end each day, as we lay our heads on our pillows, we could think of 3 things we’re thankful for that day, and then mentally savor them: a beautiful flower or sunset, kind words spoken by someone, an accomplishment, a person. We could make our whole year happier and healthier– according to Dr. Emmons!

Try it right now: close your eyes and think of 3 things. Then, if you want to be even happier, express gratitude for each item—whether that means a silent “thank you” to God, or saying it out loud to someone.

What a simple and beautiful way to have a happier, and healthier, new year!

December 6, 2010

I once heard a speaker say, “If I spend one day with you, I’ll tell you where you’ve anchored your hope.” So, to what am I fastening my hope today?

Some days, it’s a work project I’m looking forward to. Other days, it’s dinner plans at a nice restaurant, or brownies I’ll bake when I get home. Other times, it’s the weekend.

And yet, the times I’m most deeply satisfied are when my mind is wrapped around some aspect of God or His kingdom, and I’m abiding there…When my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations, are focused on loving God and loving people…the two priorities Jesus said are most important.

St. Augustine wrote, “God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” But when our hearts are not resting in Him, they are restlessly searching for somewhere else to rest. Something else to hope in. Something lesser, trying to achieve happiness, peace, fulfillment, and contentment. But, over time, these lesser things taint us, permeating who we are, making us so much less than God intended.

In my own battle to regain my health, after I had become so desperately debilitated, I found that there were many things I ran to daily, fastening my hope to, trying to get a “fix,” that were slowly poisoning me: unhealthy foods, sugar, a hectic life trying to “achieve.” I had fastened my hope to the wrong things, and my health greatly suffered. As I’ve purified myself of these things, life is so much sweeter, and my health is so much better.

Like David, I can say, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your HOPE in the Lord, both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 131:2,3)

So, to what will you fasten your hope today?

 November 8, 2010

This quote by Teresa of Avila in the 1500′s shows that our struggle with God and suffering is nothing new.

One of my spiritual mentors, Amy Carmichael, also wrote about it during the early 20th century. For the last two decades of her life, she was a bedridden invalid, but continued to live in India, where she remained involved in her lifelong work of helping orphans.

She wrote, regarding her illness, “So though through these months acceptance has been a word of liberty and victory and peace to me, it has never meant acquiescence in illness…But it did mean contentment with the unexplained. Neither Job nor Paul ever knew (so far as we know) why prayer for relief was answered as it was…Hardly a life that goes deep but has tragedy somewhere within it…And who can spare from his soul’s hidden history the great words spoken to St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”? Such words lead straight to a land where there is gold, and the gold of that land is good. “Gold – the word recalls Job’s affirmation, ‘When He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold’…The Eastern goldsmith sits on the floor by his crucible. For me, at least, it was not hard to know why the Heavenly Refiner had to sit so long. The heart knows its own dross. Blessed be the love that never wearies, never gives up hope that even in such poor metal He may at last see the reflection of His face. ‘How do you know when it is purified?’ we asked our village goldsmith. ‘When I can see my face in it,’ he answered.” (Rose From Brier by Amy Carmichael, Chapter 3)

Contentment with the unexplained. God hasn’t given us all the information to solve the age-old, anguishing riddle of suffering. There are pieces of the puzzle that won’t be seen in this life. But either He exists, or He doesn’t. And if He does, He is either good and loving, or He isn’t. Either everything that happens passes by His approval, or it doesn’t. The evidence is overwhelmingly convincing on the former side in each case. Somehow His goodness and love and allowance of suffering, all co-exist. We simply haven’t been given all the information in this life to be able to understand.

Perhaps it’s like trying to explain color to someone who can see only black and white. Words fall short. Maybe only in eternity can we comprehend the full answers to the questions of suffering.

Peace came for me only when I accepted the fact that I will not know the complete answers on this side of heaven. The choice before us is clear: either trust in Him with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding, or don’t. (Proverbs 3:5, 6)

A fellow-pilgrim once said that difficulties either lead a person to become bitter or better. Without a conscious effort, the former automatically takes over. I know from experience and observation that bitterness poisons the container in which it is held.

For me, in the midst of suffering, I have come to this conclusion: How can I not trust this One who I have enjoyed and loved for so many years, who has showered me with good things all my life. I have richly tasted, drunk deeply, of this rare, exotic, incomparable One.

And yet, as C.S. Lewis wrote, “He’s not a tame lion.” But I’ve learned to rest in the integrity of His character–of what I DO know about Him–and this has helped me to reach contentment with the unexplained quandary of why He-being good, kind, and loving-allows suffering.

September 20, 2010

Mary Kay!…Mary Kay! Honk Honk!

I was in my house, cleaning my toilet, and just wanted to be done with it.

Honk Honk! Mary Kay! WHO was in front of my house, honking their horn, calling me by the name only my mother used when she was upset?

Putting down the toilet brush, I tromped to the front door, looked out perplexed, then laughed.

It was my dear friend, Jenny, stopping by for a minute to tell me something. Jenny is one of those people whose presence makes you smile in spite of yourself, she’s so warm, funny, and endearing.

“Jenny, what are you doing?!!”

Jenny was stopping by to excitedly tell me about something that had happened at her Bible study that morning. She’d met someone who was struggling with a chronic illness, and told them about my book.

Oh Jenny, I was just scrubbing the toilet, worrying about different things, among them how to effectively get the word out about my the book to those who need it. And now, God brings you, reminding me that ultimately, it’s His responsibility, and He’s working on it.” Jenny went on to say that she was available to help in any way she could to let others know.

I felt so humbled, loved, and cared for…by Jenny AND Jesus. It made me think of Isaiah 65:24: “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” I had definitely not called to God yet…I’d just let the worries swirl in my mind, in rhythm to the swirl of the toilet brush I’d been using. I, like my toilet, needed a cleansing. I needed the worried thoughts to be cleaned away, so I could be more effective…and pleasant to be around.

And what a kind way to have it happen…with the humor and generosity of a loving friend. But that’s how God is…kind, generous, loving, and even humorous at times. Like when he uses a toilet to teach us a lesson.

August 9, 2010

I love how God speaks to us in the most mundane of circumstances.

I was taking the trash out to the side of our house (definitely mundane!), and as I glanced into the back yard, I literally did a double-take. There, on the telephone wire running behind my house, sat a falcon, majestically holding that proud posture that they do.

I looked more intently, to be sure I was seeing right…a falcon-sighting isn’t a common occurrence in busy Orange County. Then, suddenly, I sensed a familiar nudging, God’s voice within me. He reminded me how, all through my life, in various situations, He has called my attention to birds to remind me that He is with me, overflowing His goodness and favor toward me. A little Matthew 6:26 reverberation: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Looking at the falcon, I realized that God was calming me regarding something in particular I was anxious about: all the particulars of publishing a first book. I’ve been getting way too busy and tense in the process. God was reminding me that if He can take care of all the needs of all the birds, even placing a falcon right here in my back yard, He can take care of my book details. I just need to rest in Him.

I love that! I remember when I first came to know God, I was perplexed when I heard people, or the Bible, talk about hearing God’s still small voice. What did it sound like, and how would I differentiate it from my own thoughts, desires, or feelings?

These are legitimate concerns, and people can err on either side of a spectrum: thinking they hear His voice everywhere…or never listening for His voice anywhere. But with time, practice, and experience with the Bible and God Himself, we come to discern what Isaiah talked about: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21) And James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

One of the main problems is getting our attention. C.S. Lewis wrote: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains.”

I’m glad that, this day, He chose the “whisper” method. My encounter with the falcon was definitely a pleasure.