Last week, my family traveled to northern CA to see friends and share more about my future ministry in London; it was a great week God really worked in! On our last day, we took a scenic drive through the local mountain range, and made several stops on the side of the road to catch the beauty around us. It was pretty funny; whenever we saw a prime shot we all yelled excitedly, “We need to stop!”
As I watched my dad and sister take pictures and admire the sunset, I thought about that phrase. It’s a good summary, actually. We can run around like chickens with our heads cut off, day in and day out, but that’s not how we’re meant to function. What we desperately need to do is stop.
We need to stop daily to orient ourselves to hear God, to be with God. We need to stop before we make plans, to give them to God and get His go-ahead. We need to stop before each appointment/ important conversation and seek wisdom from God and ask to honor Him. We need stop like my family did, to just capture the moment.
Easily said, not easily done. Yeah, I know.
In all honesty, it’s probably my biggest struggle. But as nice as it might seem to just get the tasks done, to “just get through ____”, that’s not how we’re meant to function either. The process is a gift, and that gift becomes divine when we experience it with and learn from God. It's learning to be continuously connected to God, to be like the branch in John 15; it’s a connection resulting in life for us and fruit that honors God. I want to experience that connection daily. I need to take time to stop.
John 15:1-4 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.