Can you believe it's ALREADY January THIRD? Wow!
So here I am... I realized that last year I had only blogged twice... TWICE... all year! And believe me, there were days I blogged in my head. My thoughts flowed and flowed but never got to a blank page. I felt guilty. Then I felt freed. Then I felt like it became forgotten. But I always missed this... THIS... putting my thoughts on the screen.
The Lord spoke very vividly with me as I was reading His Word at my kitchen table one afternoon...
December 28th to be exact. The kids were ALL home due to their Christmas break, and in the midst of chaos, loud screaming and fights and wrestling and laughter (and did I say chaos?), I sat, with my Bible and journal opened and pen at hand. I had been asking the Lord to reveal a "word" or a "verse", or even a "focus" for 2017. That's what people tend to do, right? So I thought I'd try. OH... WOW! I was blown away! Not only did Jesus spoke to me... he spoke then "dropped the mic"! That's right, friends! I was journaling my thoughts on paper and at the very end of my very last sentence, my pen fell off my hand! Literally! Just like that! Not sure what caused that, but I ended up writing one more sentence down on that page, "Pen dropped! Haha... dropped the mic, Lord?!)"
December 28th to be exact. The kids were ALL home due to their Christmas break, and in the midst of chaos, loud screaming and fights and wrestling and laughter (and did I say chaos?), I sat, with my Bible and journal opened and pen at hand. I had been asking the Lord to reveal a "word" or a "verse", or even a "focus" for 2017. That's what people tend to do, right? So I thought I'd try. OH... WOW! I was blown away! Not only did Jesus spoke to me... he spoke then "dropped the mic"! That's right, friends! I was journaling my thoughts on paper and at the very end of my very last sentence, my pen fell off my hand! Literally! Just like that! Not sure what caused that, but I ended up writing one more sentence down on that page, "Pen dropped! Haha... dropped the mic, Lord?!)"
So, wanna know what he said to me?
Do you know the story of the Samaritan woman at the well? John chapter 4. Jesus and his disciples are going through the town of Samaria, and while his disciples go into the town to buy food, Jesus stays back and sits by this "famous" well. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water from this well (as she is accustomed to doing daily) and has an extraordinary encounter with Jesus. He asks her to draw some water for him to drink. She doesn't know who he is (yet), but Jesus tells her everything about her life. And offers her eternal life! When she tells him that she's waiting for the Messiah and that this Messiah will tell her everything, Jesus says, "I who speak am he." BOOM!
The Scriptures say that this woman "left her water jar and went away into town" to tell everyone about what had happened!
And these are the verses I'm basing my whole 2017 FOCUS on:
"Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42)
An entire group of people came to know Jesus because one woman had the courage to tell them about her encounter with him. She had a significant encounter with Jesus! SIGNIFICANT! During an ORDINARY day. She went to the well like any other day. And Jesus was already there, at that same well.
In my ordinary days... in my circumstances. Do I believe that JESUS IS ALREADY THERE? And how many times do I take the time to intentionally pay attention to His presence? Do I notice Him? Am I aware enough to experience Him? What If? What if I decided to START encountering Jesus daily? What if I noticed that in my everyday, Jesus is ALREADY THERE? He sits and waits for me. As I go through my ordinary days, He is there. At the kitchen sink, at my laundry pile, at the kids' school pick up line, driving to run errands... Jesus is ALREADY THERE. He waits for me. He sits and KNOWS what I need. He cares. He wants me to notice Him.
Oh, how I need that!
Oh, how I need Jesus!
More of Jesus!
And to think that He's always been available! And to think that I've always had full access to Him through the Holy Spirit dwelling in me! Mind blowing stuff, isn't it?
So let me encourage you. If you're in a place where the walls between you and Jesus are THICK. And that your ordinary days are crazy, messy, too loud... I get it! I do! I'm there, too! These daily encounters with Jesus aren't easy. And believe me, I'm on day 4 or 5 and it's still not happening every moment of every minute of every hour... But I'm CHOOSING to FOCUS. Because if I don't... and if you don't... the days can be tough-er without Him.
Start small.
Take a deep breath.
Look at your child in the eye.
Get a wider view of your driving commute and take in his creation.
Hug someone.
Read a Psalm.
Say the Lord's Prayer... out loud...
Unplug (there's a whole new blog post about this coming soon...)!
And my hope for this year, as I focus on these Daily Encounters with Jesus, is that I'll be here to SHARE them with you. As often as I can. Because the Samaritan's encounter with Jesus had an impact in the lives of others because she shared it with them. She told them about it. She didn't keep it to herself. It would've been easier... and yes, I could just keep these encounters with Jesus to myself, but the miracle happens when others can say, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
I want YOU to see for yourself and to KNOW for yourself that Jesus is the Savior of the world. That He is love. That He is enough. And that He pursues us DAILY, relentlessly!
Here's to an amazing year, full of DAILY ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS!
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