Saying Yes

Dear Friends,

Over the past two months I have felt God tugging at my heart to use my gift of writing to touch the hearts of those around me. Automatically I had questions. Me, Lord? What could I say that people would want to read? Do you really think I have time for this now, God? Don't you think you should choose somebody with more experience? Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like change. I had pictures of myself running away and ending up like Jonah in the belly of a fish! So I started to pray and ponder this idea. I kept coming back to the fact that throughout the Bible God uses ordinary people to serve him. That's what I am- an ordinary person. So my answer to God is "Yes." I will take this step in faith and I will allow God to use me for his purpose.

If you live in Kansas you know that spring brings the sprouting of winter wheat, the yellow of daffodils, the white blossoms of the flowering pear tree and the song of birds in the yard. After the dead of winter I soak in these sights and sounds like I have crossed the desert and have a thirst that cannot be quenched. However, if you live in Kansas, you also know that in the spring we have many days in which the wind blows from the South. I'm not talking about a gentle breeze to cool your skin from the sun. I'm talking about gusts that threaten to pick up the two small wienie dogs that live in our house and carry them to states to our north! One day this past week the wind blew as if it would never stop. On this day I was reminded of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-12.

"The Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

Sometimes my life seems like that wind, earthquake and fire. From the time I wake up in the morning my life begins to "gust" as I go from one activity to the other. There's a clamoring inside my head as I try to sort out the many demands on my life. I look for God in little snatches of time-left over time. It is difficult to find him. Recently, my church did a Bible study on time. I realized that my life was too full of things that really weren't important. I started to look through the wind, the earthquake and the fire to see what really made a difference in my life. What I found was God in that gentle whisper in the quiet of the morning. So now, I am trying to make that quiet time of Bible study and prayer a part of my every day. I encourage you to take a look at your life and find God's gentle whisper! God's blessings on your day!

Cherrie