Andy's 5 Minutes

I greeted the morning with an enthusiastic “Uhg!” and a Nyquil hangover. I’ve been sick the past couple of days. While Galatians talks about eagerly awaiting the hope of righteousness, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the hope of no more cold, no more running nose, no more congested head. But I suppose righteousness is of much more value than cold or no cold, and ultimately a much more profound thing to hope for.

I have to confess, one of my first thoughts today, shortly after the initial “ugh,” was “oh, I have to do that 5 minute thing so that I can write my blog post.” So much for starting things out firmly rooted in Grace and Freedom. But this is sometimes the truth of my spiritual life, I, as much as the next person, often rub up against a sense of obligation, whether there’s a deadline involved or not. So I willed myself out of bed (which can be quite a challenge post nyquil coma), said a quick hello to Hannah and Keller, and plopped myself down in the rocking chair next to our bedroom window. Spot? Found!

Sitting quietly, I began to rest in God’s grace and freedom. For me, this meant thanking God for his grace and the subsequent freedom it brings. Feelings of obligation? There’s nothing I can do, or need to do to “win over” God. Through Christ, everything has been done! Feelings of guilt over having feelings of obligation? Rest on God’s grace and freedom. I began to remember that grace actually welcomes me and receives me as I am. It gives me the freedom to move beyond myself and my hang ups. This is important because it helped me to “rightly” frame the experience I was giving myself to. I even struggled, in the midst of “resting,” with my mind wandering to far off places. But instead of beating myself up over a lack of focus, grace enabled me to refocus, to re-find my resting place. Coming to this place (the place where I recognize that it’s not about obligation or performance) for me was huge. Because when it’s not about obligation or performance, it becomes about one thing, which is (simply) being with God.

I read the scripture passage (psalm 139:7-10). “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I settle at the furthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me.” For me, this was a beautiful thing and I sensed the Lord speaking two significant truths.

The first is this: “I’m with you.”

And the second is this: “I will lead you.”

The thought occurred to me, remembering these two truths throughout my day, my week, my life, would save me a ton of anxiety and stress. Living this truth out is much harder than stating it. But that is what I’m challenging myself to do (or maybe that is what I sense God calling me to) today and this week. So that’s where I’m going to live. I’m going to remember, to remind, to reaffirm, to myself and anyone who will listen, God is with you, and he will lead you. Keep your chin up and your eyes open.

There you go, a window into my experience so far. How about you? Is there a small piece of your experience that you’d be willing to share? What did your 5 minutes look like? Was there a particular part of this practice that was especially meaningful or challenging for you? How did you you sense God’s movement in your day? I’d love to hear from you.