“‘You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,”said the Lion.” –The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis
One of the biggest treats I’ve come to enjoy is a hot, syrupy breakfast.
Pancakes or waffles, it doesn’t matter. There’s something heavenly about waking up to the smell of fresh batter cooking on the griddle and coffee percolating into the carafe. The way to a woman’s heart isn’t just chocolate. It’s breakfast coming right up or a spontaneous trip out for eggs and ham at a sidewalk cafe.
Jesus offers a breakfast special on Easter weekend too.
Jesus calls me to unwind from frustration when change doesn’t come easy.
He offers me a gift that others may find simplistic, faith for the novice.
This gift is the grace to receive.
A Small Bird Flapping
Grace is a lot easier said than done. I say this because grace puts me in a posture that is anti-intuitive.
Grace calls me to receive rather than give.
I don’t doubt God’s promises. I know He is big.
It’s me that I’m wary of.
Will I be able to rise to the hard things and yield to God’s ways?
I’m like the bird that’s come to visit me every morning since we set our clocks forward for spring.
He’s a small bird flapping from the branches of the tree outside the kitchen, straight into the glass pane. I hear him as I rinse out the coffee pot to start the day, a loud tapping that rattles the window.
The bird sees it’s own reflection. It mistakes itself for a bird threatening to dismantle the nest he is about to build.
I’m like that bird, getting sidetracked from spring, staring into my fears. I keep looking to my own reflection. What can I do? What can I change?
What I really want is what Jesus gives. I need Someone who can remake me– when all I am doing is waiting.
Completely Opposite
The world tells us that changes comes as a result of climbing the mountain of self-achievement. We take inventory of our tools, our strengths and our gifts. Our focus on change zeroes in on our ability to reach a place of faith.
Jesus took a completely opposite route. His most purposeful work took place while He was waiting for God the Father to act on His behalf, instead of doing.
This absence of visible activity was right where Jesus finds the disciples fishing after He died.
Remember the story of Jesus after His resurrection, standing on a beach and calling out to the disciples?
Everyone had resigned themselves to everyday life.
“He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?‘
‘No,’ they answered …
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.
Jesus to them, ‘Come and have breakfast’.”
(John 21:4-13)
In the same way, Jesus comes to us in our dead ends. Jesus can find us, even when we’ve tucked ourselves away, in a secluded spot — feeling empty and ordinary.
With bread and fish, Jesus prepares breakfast for us.
He calls. We come.
Somewhere between breaking bread and enjoying His company, we become changed.
It’s not anything we can do. Instead, it is a greater, over powering gift.
In His presence, we learn to extend our hands, open little or wide, and receive.
Inspired Invitation
Is it too simplistic?
I am deciding to take Jesus at His word.
I am on a journey to seek out as many ways possible to receive from Jesus.
Some might call it self-centered motivation. I call it Jesus-inspired invitation.
After all, my story with Him began with me receiving His love. Why should I stop?
I’m discovering a deepening joy in drawing near this way to Jesus. It is changing me — beyond what I could ever give.
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That little bird has stopped tapping on my window. I look for her in the lattice of tree branches. I can’t find her. She’s either flying, gathering seed, or maybe she is perched high up somewhere I can’t see, under the thick of leaves, at rest in her nest.
Sleep is still clinging to me at the dawn. I smile, knowing I’ll hear her singing her spring song. She is near.
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“The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
~ 1 Peter 5:10
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How is Jesus calling to you in a time of waiting?
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By Bonnie Gray, The Faith Barista serving up shots of faith for everyday life.
For more encouragement, join Bonnie and the Faith Fresh Community on her blog for her April series: Discovering New Joy.
