slate throated redstart (my camera isn’t this good; this pic is from the internet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI had this amazing sense that this was God’s early birthday gift of love showered down upon me (my birthday was the next day). \u00a0I enjoyed this scene for a moment, but then I noticed the rest of the group had moved forward on the path and was no longer in sight. \u00a0I felt guilty for lagging behind so much and I turned away from the light to head up the hill back into the shadowy forest, but as I look into the shadows I realized I did not want to leave this place. \u00a0It was sacred. \u00a0God was here. \u00a0He wanted me to stay and enjoy it for just a while longer. \u00a0The group would be ok without me, so I turned back and the birds were still there dancing away, but now they were also singing! \u00a0It was so beautiful, tears filled my eyes and I just allowed myself to be loved by my Creator. \u00a0I don’t know how many more minutes I was there, but eventually I knew I needed to move on, but this time I was OK with entering into the shadow. \u00a0It wasn’t long before I caught up to the rest of the group and was able to share my experience with the group.<\/p>\n
Later as I reflected on this gift from God, I wondered to myself how many times have I just totally missed the gift? \u00a0Because I wasn’t really looking for it, or was too busy with other things, or felt guilty for taking the time to really enjoy it?<\/p>\n
Last night, Nils told me to grab a book and head up to the roof-top terrace to read and watch the sun set while he put the boys down. \u00a0So I went up with my book but God’s beautiful creation was calling me to just sit and enjoy the moment. \u00a0I watched the clouds move over the mountains and the sun set change the color of the sky as I felt the cool breeze on my skin. \u00a0Then, to my surprise – two red-bellied birds showed up to dance for me again! \u00a0God’s grace showering upon me once more. \u00a0 Thank you, Lord, for the moments where we take time to notice and receive your gift of love for us. \u00a0May we be more in tune to the ways you are calling us to yourself.<\/p>\n
Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first weekend of May we held the Mexican pastor and spouse retreat up in the beautiful Oaxacan mountains, and the Holy Spirit showed up in amazing ways! The highlight of the retreat for me was the small group spiritual walk through the woods led by my friend and missionary colleague Janice Kelly. \u00a0As Janice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3977],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-reflection"],"yoast_head":"\n
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