Thought:
At the time of this writing, I am thinking about my mother. She passed in 2017, and the thought of having another Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas without her is ever present in my thoughts. She always had Thanksgiving Dinner. I’m laughing because her favorite dish to bring was cranberry sauce from a can, and sometimes, devil eggs. It was a well-known fact that my mother was not the cook in the family. Now Dad. He can cook!
Most Important Aspect:
This brings me to Sarah Bowlings inspirational book on being in step with, as she would say, Holy Spirit. The 5th chapter of the book, “Keep On Keeping On,” is something my mother would say which brought peace to my heart. Sometimes it takes an uplifting book to remind you to laugh and embrace cherished memories.
My mother believed that quitting was not an option. I guess that is something she instilled in me because I wasn’t giving up on her, even when God lovingly said he was taking her home. Till this day, I should have stopped believing right then, but I had a discussion with God. I rant and raved, screamed and hollered, cried and hit everything in my car. I know the security guard in the parking lot thought I was crazy. Eventually, I settled down. And accepted it. Did I quit? No. You see, that’s what is so special about this chapter. It’s not so much about the difference between quitting and giving up, although it was discussed, it’s about understanding your God. It’s about being attuned to Holy Spirit until what you are going through becomes your strength and not your demise.
Additions:
Each chapter contains a prayer and “Go Further” questions. The questions allowed for the opportunity to apply what you learned.
Brief Quote from the Book:
“One closed door often means God has other doors ready to open, if we will just knock!” And the way you know to do this is through infusing your life with God’s presence and power through walking with Holy Spirit. That quote from Sarah’s book hit home. My mother’s passing (closed door) symbolized the opening of a new door. The choice was mine rather to stay at the door weeping, crying, becoming anger with God and never moving forward or knock, “Lord, I’m listening. Where do we (meaning Him and me) go from here?” Something to think about, huh!
Conclusion:
My mother’s book (journey on earth) was closing, mine will also someday, as will yours, but for now, we have more chapters to write, more doors to knock on, more doors to walk through. It’s the adventure of looking on the other side to see what’s to be found. That’s where being in step with Holy Spirit comes into play. Never stop hanging out with Him. Never give up because the battle is tough, it’s going to be because that’s what battles are… tough. Stop cruising through life and live. Get up off that couch and go hang out with Holy Spirit because He has got an exciting adventure for you. Now don’t get me wrong, every adventure is not “peaches and cream.” Like Sarah writes in this book, “Let’s be abundantly clear… following the Holy Spirit does not guarantee our flesh a life of comfort and convenience… it seems… following the Holy Spirit means our flesh will get uncomfortable, challenged and cranky.” No one knows their future, but following Holy Spirit is your guide to living the life you were designed to live. God’s got you. Quitting is not an option.
Call to Action:
Closing:
Until we meet again on the next blog, continue hanging out with Jesus, intentionally and daily. Shalom!
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