Fidelity Investment

And so...One morning, I woke up thinking about the green line concept in the link below. And being the tech savvy, modern woman that I am, I googled 'green line commercial' and this one popped up. 

What did I do before Goggle?

 As I prayed that morning, before getting out of bed, I heard my own words 'Invest...Don't sacrifice'. He often uses those words with me when I need to adjust an attitude in my heart. Over time I have learned that I can do exactly what He asks me to do, with a very poor attitude and forfeit the blessing that follows true obedience. 

So as I watched this commercial I was amazed at the divine connection. I love this company name, "Fidelity Investment".    Fidelity is 'the quality of being faithful or loyal. Its original    meaning regarded duty to a lord or a king'. 

Yes, investing is about me, being faithful to My King. 

Not because my circumstance encourages me to do the right thing, but because of who He is. And because I want to live in a way that allows me to be close to Him. The line which is "the guidance you get from fidelity" is always there even when we are unfaithful. And the dot that moves just before the man's feet and waits ever so patiently as he steps off the line is also there. The Holy Spirit will not force His way on me. But He will wait for me to return to His path and follow His lead. He has a plan for my long and peaceful life (retirement). I'm so grateful for that and for friends that encourage me along the way to 'stay on the line' when I get distracted by what looks like what I want. When what is best for me will always be right where the line leads.

Follow the Whisper!

And so, it's been a tough week.

I've been questioning my purpose...or perceived lack thereof.

So I followed His whisper down the yellow brick road last night and began listening to my favorite song from the musical 'Wicked' called 'For Good'.

I heard the message He hid in it for me...for now.

This morning I woke up with the song still in my heart, and as I was praying, He spoke this to me:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are called according to His PURPOSE." Romans 8:28(NAS)

And with one song and one scripture

He reminds me that living for HIS purpose, causes ALL things to work together FOR GOOD for me, because I do love Him! I do, I do, I do!

Follow the whisper!

PUSH, PULL, STAND

And so…Some say I live in my own little world and some would be correct. But I really like the bubble I live in so I’ll keep it that way. Thank you very much. I navigate my bubble with relative success. Though I have been known to frequently walk ‘in’ the ‘out’ door or stand at a door pushing with all my might only to hear someone behind me point out the little sign that says ‘pull’.

I know you’re laughing with me…not at me. Right?

And then there are the doors at which I appear, at times, to be invisible. You know, the ones that are perfect to mess with the minds of little boys who have just seen Star Wars for the first time. You tell them you are a Jedi and that you can use ‘the force’ to open the door and you score huge ‘mom points’ until they figure it out. The thing is, only the doors built with motion sensors open automatically…no matter how much you use ‘the force’, wave your arms or bounce on the door mat. Because I have suffered the embarrassment of having waved my arms wildly in front of regular doors, I am learning to pay more attention as I approach doors so that when the time comes, I will be able to walk thru them successfully.

I’m sure you see where I’m going…so come with me!

Sometimes I simply need to keep moving and the door will open as a result of walking toward it. These doors ‘see me coming’ and are waiting and ready for me to enter.

Other doors require greater effort on my part. They may require that I ‘push’ myself out of my comfort zone and ACT on what I may have only dared to think…that there is greatness residing deep within me. When the spirit of God lives in me, the greatness I sense is His. (1 John 4:4) When I ACT on that, success is imminent.

Some doors are designed to be pulled open. I stand still, perfectly positioned and bring the door toward me (pray) so that I can enter.  Knowing that I have what I need, in the place I am in, enables me to walk through the opened door.

Oh! And beware of the occasional revolving door. Initially circling around looks fun. But after the fourth or fifth time around, the magic is gone, and instead of getting to go somewhere all you get is dizzy. And ‘dizzy’ is one of those words that really isn’t as much fun as it sounds.

It’s important to know what to do when approaching a door.  There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with pushing a door that needs to be pulled. It just delays my ability to move forward. I have at times made a spectacle of myself when I felt like a certain door would be ‘automatic’ when in fact it required something of me. Those doors come with a built in ‘humility’ feature…a little of which is good for the soul.

I’m just really grateful that I’m not walking around, bumping into doors in my own little world alone. He is always with me whispering behind me, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.” (Is 30:21)

Life's a Beach

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you that I love metaphors…and beaches. So the phrase “Life’s a beach” may be my favorite as it is a metaphor about a beach. I see them everywhere, but especially while I’m at the beach. 

The last time I was here there were almost no waves. It did not appear that there was much happening based on what I could see. But as I sat and listened, the one who filled the oceans reminded me that just below the surface fish were swimming, plants were growing, seashells were being formed. Once again He said to me “Your ability to see life is not necessary for it to exist.”  Remember faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things NOT seen. (Heb. 11:1)

I see waves as a metaphor for God’s voice. And just as they never stop crashing onto the shoreline, He never stops speaking. I always think the sound is beautiful from my balcony. However the closer I get, I realize I wasn’t fully hearing the strength and intensity of each wave. God’s voice is like that. When I walk right next to Him, I hear more clearly and understand the intense desire of His heart.

 ‘How precious are the thoughts you think of me. Can anybody count them? They are greater than the sands by the sea”. This song lyric makes think of how the sand gets into places I didn’t know it could reach. His thoughts of me are that way too…reaching unexpected places deep in my heart.  The sand also exfoliates the rough spots on my feet and gently removes the paint on my toes. And when I become aware of His thoughts of love for me, the things I’ve tried to make look pretty are purified and the rough places in my soul are made smooth.

The seabirds are also interesting. Today I watched young seagulls fly near the shoreline where small fish could be caught and swallowed as they flew off. They were learning so repetition was a necessity. The large brown pelicans flew elegantly over much deeper water. Their dive was deeper, and their catch was larger. After catching they sat on top of the water to digest their meal before returning to the air. Just like these birds, when I was young, it took some practice, but small words from Him sustained me and tasted like honey. As I matured in my relationship with God my desire for deeper truths increased and sometimes when He speaks, I need to take a minute to digest what I heard.

Just like most people, I come to the beach to unplug, unwind and chill out. My body synchronizes very easily to the rhythms of beach life. And I find that when I am relaxed, I hear very easily what my creator is speaking to me through one of His most beautiful creations.