Be Present

"The soul of every family is nurtured
by presence and connection,

not by operational effectiveness."

 

Bonnie Gray

This quote by Bonnie resonated with me today.  It went along with a sermon I heard by Kris Vallotton at Bethel Church in CA.  He told us about a time not too long ago when on his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he heard from God just two words.  "Be present".  He was half asleep so he tried to ignore what he knew to be God's voice, crawling back into bed and covering his head with a blanket.  But he heard it again from somewhere beneath the covers....."Be present".  His 3am wake up call required that he and God have a little talk.  Later on he remembered what his grown kids said to him not long before ~~ "You were never home, dad."  Kris argued against that statement reminding them they ate meals together, he not only attended their games but coached some of their teams, and he never traveled like he does now.  But he knew in his heart that the truth was, even though he was home he was not always present.  It seems that God was now calling him to a new way of living. 

Be present.  Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  

Kris also shared about the time he met a mentor of his in the world of ministry.  He was in complete awe of meeting his hero.  He went on to say that what he noticed about this man was that he made him feel like he was the only person in the room and what he was saying had this man's complete attention.  He was present in the moment. 

Bonnie's prompt today was to share about the quiet spaces we find.  I could not help but reflect on Kris's words from his children and his Creator.  And as I read Bonnie's quote, I pondered my own journey to a place of rest and soul nourishment.

One of my favorite quiet spaces is my morning walk with Joel.  We often hold hands, talking as we amble or powerwalk.  I love that time with my cowboy preacher.  It is healing for my soul, being present in that moment.

I wonder how often God has spoken "be present" into my distracted ears.....but I was too busy to hear.  He beckons us to quiet spiritual whitespaces with Him.  With those we love.  With ourselves.  With the now.

Be present He whispers.  It is nourishment for the soul.

I am linking up with Bonnie over at Faith Barista for Spiritual Whitespace Thursday.

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