“… the Holy Spirit
compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness.”
Mark 1:12 NLT
Over the next forty days, I am planning to go on a spiritual
expedition. A spiritual experiment of sorts. Not a forty day fast. Nor a forty
day retreat, but forty days of preparation. Forty days from today marks the
weekend before Thanksgiving. The weekend after Thanksgiving will mark the forty
days of Advent.
As the end of this year approaches, I am surprised by an
invitation to continue to rest. I started out the year with a forty day Sabbath,
seeking to be ready for what I hoped would be a new season of encouraging women
in my home. I wanted to offer a place to retreat and be refreshed by God. This
vision birthed out of my own desire to practice more solitude in the midst of a
world that distracts so easily.
Even last year, this desire was growing. I wrote about it in
a journal entry dated: Tuesday, June 22, 2011.
“…but what I really want is my life to matter. To enjoy what
I have—to share what I have with others. Out of the overflow of this…I long to
invite women to retreat and be refreshed, renewed and restored.”
By now, I thought I would be offering day retreats in my
home to weary souls. Yet God in his ability to see beyond my thoughts has
invited me to wait in His presence. To soak in His Word and rely on Him as the
Spirit moves me into this “wilderness” season.
Jesus was led into the wilderness for forty days. We know
that part of the purpose was a testing, but I think mostly it was a time of
preparation. And that is the specific purpose that leads me to a season of
staying home more, reading more and praying with intention to discover and
develop ideas that have been whirling around my heart, soul and mind. To test
them, and see if this is the direction God would have me to go.
Pray for me as I embark on this expedition. You
may hear more musings about it here. Who knows? I just know that I must follow
hard after Jesus, and trust Him to lead me on into New Frontiers.Linking up with:
I will be praying for you, Kel, and ask that you pray for me. So often our hearts and souls parallel. I have been having a similar experience. Hmmm....what is He showing us? I was even thinking back to our mutual friend and her Radical Sabbatical next hear. You are seeking new horizons, and I am seeking completion, but in the end, both are sought in solitude and silence, things which to man seem empty, but with Christians are pregenant with God.Can't wait till we share in person (and would love to see that lovely journal collage). Sending you much love, prayer, and hope for the journey.
ReplyDeleteYour soulful scout,
Lynni
Thanks Lynni! So thankful to be on the journey together...resting in Jesus is the best place to be...praying for you, too...looking forward to comparing "notes" next week... i will bring some collage creations...and my pen to take down all your insights! Love-Kel
ReplyDeleteHi Kel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog today, and leaving a comment.:)
I pray that your 40 day expedition into God's Word, will be such a blessed time -
'Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.’ Psalm 36:5 NLT
"What I really want is my life to matter..." Oh, I hear you, friend. But resting in Him? This is. True surrender. And that matters.
ReplyDeleteI pray you find direction/guidance from father God as you wait on him. Sometimes a preparation time, a time of rest can be longer than we expected. It is when we think nothing is happening that God is working , preparing and in his time will it all come to fruition. The waiting time I find is the hardest for me though. Blessings.
ReplyDelete