Jesus Calling

Somewhere around six weeks ago I attended a leadership retreat with Sara. The presenters at that retreat gave each couple who participated a devotional book entitled "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. The book is designed to share a few thoughts each day as if they were the spoken words of Jesus to me and you. Occasionally I plan to share an entry from this book and reflect on the message God has for my life as I listen for and rest in the words that reveal the heartbeat of Christ...

Rest In My Radiant Presence. The world around you seems to spin faster and faster, till everything is a blur. Yet there is a cushion of calm at the center of your life, where you live in union with Me. Return to this soothing Center as often as you can, for this is where you are energized: filled with My Love, Joy, and Peace.

The world is a needy place; do not go there for sustenance. Instead, come to Me; learn to depend on Me alone, and your weakness will become saturated with My Power. When you find your completeness in Me, you can help other people without using them to meet your own needs. Live in the Light of My Presence, and your light will shine brightly into the lives of others.

I think it is easy to agree that the world around us spins faster and faster. When we live in the midst of that spinning it doesn't take long to find ourselves dizzy from the experience. We search for a way to regain our balance, to reestablish equilibrium. But often the hard part is finding our way to the "cushion of calm" at the center. I wonder though if it is difficult because more often than not I try to go to the world for sustenance--for rest, for relaxation, for peace. What would it be like if I learned to depend more on God and less on myself, less on others, less on the comforts of the world? I desire in my heart to have the power and presence of God "saturate" my life...but what does the order and direction of my life communicate about that desire?

God, help me to see I am complete in you. May I slow down long enough to find you at the center of a fast-paced, me-first, spinning kind of world and may my light shine bright enough for others to see as they too travel through the world's dizzying fog...