Speak to me....

we picked these wild flowers on our walk.
i love how simple they are.
they are always there, but often unnoticed.
we noticed them today.

Oh my gosh, how I hear the Lord when my world is quieter. I hear Him speak so much clearer.

This morning, Presley and I took a walk. The birds were chirping, the breeze was gently sweeping our faces.

When we got to the top of the neighborhood, we sat on the brick sign at the entrance. I told her to close her eyes and listen to God's voice in the birds and the wind.

We were quiet for about a minute. My body was so relaxed and so at peace.

After the minute of silence, Presley opened her eyes and said, "Mommy, I am so glad you didn't bring your phone with you on this walk. It would have been beeping and it would have messed up our quiet."

I looked at her and I told her that I was so sorry if my phone ever came between she and I.

She told me that it was okay, and then she hugged me.

Do you know that the Lord speaks through your children? He does.

In fact, while we were walking to the top of the neighborhood, Presley expressed her heart with tears in her eyes.

She said that she was so sad that none of her friends would be able to come to her first little bible study. (She decided a couple of weeks ago that she wanted to lead a bible study with her friends at chic-fil-a on the same night that I had mine. We would be able to ride together and be together with our own little friends at separate tables.)

As she was expressing her heart (in full emotions), she said that nobody liked her and that nobody wanted to come to her bible study.

I quickly replied that she was believing lies, and that they all liked her and wanted to come, but it was just not a good week for everyone this time.

My heart skipped a beat for a moment. I thought about my own life, and how I often had pity parties about myself as well.

How quickly I was to see that what Presley was saying was just untrue, when I am not as quick to believe those things in my own life.

God was teaching me right there in that moment.

I wonder if I would not have taken the time to take that walk with her, put down my phone, and fully engage with her...If I would have missed that important message to my heart.

How much more have I missed being busy, and caught up with the world?

If I am caught up with the world, and never missing a thing that goes on around me because of the constant flood of newsfeed telling me the details....how will I ever hear the clarity of my Father's Voice?

How will I ever discern what is truly from Him, and what is twisted and watered down by the world?

God brought to my mind the many times that Jesus walked away from the crowd and went to a quiet place. Hello? Even Jesus Himself needed to be able to discern the Voice of God through some quiet time. If Jesus had to discipline Himself in that way, don't you think that we certainly need to?

He is growing me in a very, very painful way right now. He is cutting off these branches that are just hanging on and not bearing any good fruit. They have been there for a while, so they are kind of comfy.

God wants them gone. He wants me fully engaged in Him.

My friend, Lisa, told me just today that leadership was lonely. I wanted to explain that to Presley, but felt like it wasn't the right time. She would know this soon enough.

We all do, don't we?

If you have ever been a leader, in any sense of the word, it can truly be a lonely spot.

It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of confidence in your relationship with Christ to truly stand firm on what you feel like He is telling you to do.

Not everyone will want to follow.

In fact, no one may.

I am beginning to see that it's okay. God isn't asking us to lead based on the responses of others.

He is asking us to lead because that is what HE wants for us. Period.

Perhaps it is just to grow our dependence on Him alone, instead of on the crowd around us.

I am looking forward to many more conversations with my children. They sure teach me a lot about life. Without even realizing it.

cutting branches,

jill