Have you ever heard Jesus speak to you?
Whether it be through another person, or the Bible, or that beautiful and majestic creation of His- He is constantly speaking to us all day long.
I remember being a teenager and aching to hear the audible voice of God. My friend and I sat opposite one another in my room and we waited. And waited. We were so silent for fear we’d miss Him talking to us.
Well, Jesus spoke to me yesterday. Not in an audible voice like I hear a friend talking to me, but in the inner parts of my heart, I heard Him. And it was the perfect timing to hear what He had to say.
You see, I spoke at our church yesterday. After working a 40 hour work week, 3 soccer practices, 2 soccer games and preparing dinner for a friend’s family, I sat down to prepare the message that I was to give on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I was throwing up flare prayers to God shouting, “HELP!”…. “Over here God!”….. “Remember me!?”
It was 9:20am on Sunday morning before I was finished preparing my message. I was still a makeupless-pj-wearing-fool and was supposed to be at church in 30 minutes. Oi. As I rushed to get ready, I then threw placed my 6 and 3 year old in the car and turned the key to discover that the battery was dead. No sound. No turnover. Nothing. Double Oi.
My prince of a husband came and rescued us and we pulled into the church parking lot at 10:40am. Church starts at 11am. Oh yeah baby.
By this time, I was a little bit distracted by the morning’s events. I quickly smelled my armpits to ensure I hadn’t forgotten the necessary beauty care item and checked my lashes in case I had forgotten the most needed tube in my make-up bag. Fabulous. Armpits smelled great and lashes were covered. Life can go on.
Fast forward to the middle of worship. My husband was in the back of the sanctuary and my 3 kiddos were standing with me. For some reason, with the first strum of the guitar, my children turn into Squirmy 1, Squirmy 2 and Squirmy 3. We try to be proactive and share with them what worship is and why we stand, why we sing…but let’s face it, that will come in time. They will soon discover Jesus for themselves and it will click. But aha! Not this day. They were twirling, asking to play Minecraft, had to go the bathroom. Twice. (I’m sure you can’t relate to any of this. I’m sure I’m the only one who’s 8, 6, and 3 year olds do this.) (wink, wink)
I was unravelling at a rapid speed. Headed straight toward destruction.
And all of a sudden, Jesus spoke. And it changed everything.
I heard Him say the word permission.
He continued to say, “Everything that goes on around you can affect who you are, how you respond and your view of Me. But it will only infect you if you give it permission to. Don’t give permission to the things you don’t want seeping into your heart.”
All that had happened around me that week- all that had distracted me that morning- it didn’t have to change my attitude or my view of life. It could. But it didn’t have to.
Permission.
What are you giving permission to? Are circumstances or people’s actions affecting who you are or the outcome of your day?
I wonder how different our days would be if we stopped giving permission to the things that could ruin it.
Love, Audra