Water droplets sparkled and shimmered on the tiny leaves of the baby ash tree outside my window after a light morning rain. I stood staring. Entranced. With one small gesture, God was inviting me to enter in to this moment with him. A simple, yet captivating invitation. An awareness of intricate beauty. And a quieting of the world beyond it.
I accepted. And the atmosphere around me changed — to peace.
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. Psalm 91:2
Following God isn’t complicated. It’s beautifully simple. But we are masters of complication. We look back and pull the past into our present. We look ahead and fret over what may or may not be. We fail to see what’s right in front of us. This moment he has us in – right now. And then this moment becomes the past, and we have regrets over what we missed out on.
Exhausting, isn’t it? And yet, God calls us to abide with him only – in this moment alone. Nothing more. Nothing less. And he promises that everything we need in this moment will be available to us.
Simple. Beautiful.
I find that when I’m most anxious is when I’m chasing after something apart from him. Time. Accomplishments. Relationships. Outcomes. Whatever it may be. And I never catch up to it. I’m always behind the mark. It taunts me and haunts me. It steals my peace and my joy. It’s an awful feeling.
I wonder if you ever feel that way too.
So maybe it’s time we chased after what’s already ours. Wow. That felt good to say. Sort of like letting out a deep breath I’ve been holding all my life.
Just let the rest go. Deep breath. Now let it out slowly. And imagine letting all those unreachable things vanish down that never-ending racetrack. Until all that’s left is him. And you. And all he’s given you.
I think I’m ready.
If you are, too, pray this prayer of surrender along with me. And let’s do this together.
Dear God,
I’m weary of the hustle and the worry and the anxious striving. I just want to be here, with you. Show me how to do that. Show me the wonder of your simplicity. Refresh my heart with your love. It’s all that I want. And all that I need.
Amen
